As of December 1, 2021, new health guidelines for arrival in India have kicked in. As per these new guidelines, everyone arriving from Europe, South African countries and some other countries considered at-risk by India, such as Singapore and Hong Kong, will undergo a test-on-arrival and a home quarantine. Maharashtra has gone a step further and required institutional quarantine for those arriving at Mumbai from these at-risk countries and home quarantine for everyone coming from outside the country.

 You can Rapid-PCR to exit the airport quicker

The original health guidelines by the Government of India mentioned the requirement of an RT-PCR test to be performed on arrival for all arriving from specific countries and 2% of passengers arriving from other countries. However, until the RT-PCR report does not come through, one cannot exit the airport or board a connecting flight. The idea is to isolate those infected rather than allow them to go into circulation.

Now, the ICMR has clarified that the following type of tests will be allowed to test for Covid-19 infection:

• Open system RTPCR
• TrueNat
• GeneXpert
• RTLAMP
• CRISPR/TATAMD CHECK/FELUDA
• Abbott ID Now
• Accula by Thermofisher
• Rapid RTPCR
• CoviDx DirectPlex

This means the Rapid PCR, which is indeed a more expensive test but generates a report in 45 minutes to an hour, will also be permitted to be used to check for infection. At Delhi Airport, the RT-PCR test with a six hours+ timeline of result comes with a price tag of INR 500, but the Rapid PCR test with a timeframe of the result being delivered with an hour comes with a price tag of INR 3900.

Not surprising then that the first arrivals at Delhi Airport after the new rules went into effect mostly asked to be tested with the rapid test.

Total 1013 passengers from 4 ‘at risk’ flights, successfully completed arrival formalities due to availability of Rapid PCR Test along with RTPCR test.
792 passengers decided to take Rapid PCR Test and 221 passengers opted for RT-PCR Test. @MoCA_GoI (2/2)

— Delhi Airport (@DelhiAirport) December 1, 2021

I am aware that Rapid PCR testing is adequately provided at Mumbai airport, which has stiffer requirements for international arrivals.

Bottomline

If you are scheduled to arrive in India on or after December 1, 2021, new health screening rules have gone into effect, requiring passengers from Europe/southern Africa and other at-risk countries to be tested on arrival and quarantine. Whether you are compulsorily going to be tested or tested because you got randomly picked up, take note that you now have a more expensive but quicker option to get done with the testing process.

What do you think of the new addition to the testing slate for on-arrival tests in India?

---

Liked our articles and our efforts? Please pay an amount you are comfortable with; an amount you believe is the fair price for the content you have consumed. Please enter an amount in the box below and click on the button to pay; you can use Netbanking, Debit/Credit Cards, UPI, QR codes, or any Wallet to pay. Every contribution helps cover the cost of the content generated for your benefit.

(Important: to receive confirmation and details of your transaction, please enter a valid email address in the pop-up form that will appear after you click the ‘Pay Now’ button. For international transactions, use Paypal to process the transaction.)

We are not putting our articles behind any paywall where you are asked to pay before you read an article. We are asking you to pay after you have read the article if you are satisfied with the quality and our efforts.