Passengers arriving in India on international flights will now face minimal protocols as the government has decided to do away with most COVID-related restrictions. The decision comes following a decline in COVID numbers and severity, with authorities believing that many protocols, including filling in the pre-arrival self-declaration form, are no longer required.

Vaccines and masks not mandatory

India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued a fresh circular detailing revised rules for international passengers arriving in the country. From November 22nd, passengers are no longer required to be fully vaccinated, although the government still prefers if they are. In-flight masks have also been moved to the “preferable” category in view of COVID no longer posing a major threat.

Detailed rules are as follows:

• Before traveling, passengers should preferably be fully vaccinated.
• In-flight announcements about COVID to continue and preventive measures to be followed (preferable use of masks and physical distancing).
• Any passenger with COVID-19 symptoms during travel or upon arrival shall be isolated as per standard protocol, i.e., the said passenger should be wearing a mask, isolated and segregated from other passengers in flight/travel, and shifted to an isolation facility subsequently for follow-up treatment.
• All travelers should self-monitor their health post-arrival and report to their nearest health facility or call the National helpline number (1075)/ State Helpline Number in case they have any symptoms of COVID.

No Air Suvidha form required

A notable omission from the circular is the need to complete a self-declaration form, which all arriving passengers were required to submit before boarding their flights.

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The Air Suvidha form was a way for international passengers to declare their health status online, without which airlines wouldn’t allow boarding.

While it was deemed crucial during the height of the pandemic, passengers have been increasingly asking authorities to remove it as COVID cases have gone down globally.

The Air Suvidha Portal was launched in 2020 and was strictly enforced to curb COVID waves, including last year’s Omicron surge. But of late, many passengers have reported missing their flights or going through last-minute chaos to fill out the form before boarding their India-bound flights.

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In October, the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India even requested the authorities to scrap the self-declaration form as it was believed to be hindering the tourism sector in the country.

Hopefully, the revised rules will make life easier for passengers and further boost trade and tourism in the country.

Are you happy that the Indian government has scrapped the Air Suvidha form? Please let us know in the comment section below.