Is It Important To Take COVID-19 RT-PCR Test Before Canada to India Travel?
Posted on Feb 14th, 2022 by Ankita Awasthi, Last updated on Aug 8th, 2022
According to the revised guidelines for international arrival, effective from 14th February, the travelers arriving from Canada to India are no longer mandated to go through a seven-day compulsory home quarantine or RT-PCR testing on the eighth day.
Starting from 14th February, the Union government issued revised guidelines regarding Covid-19 protocols for Canadian international passengers who were planning to fly to India.
Waiting off the stringent rules, the government, in its most recent guidelines, has determined that international flyers who arrive in India from Canada after 14th February will not need to submit to a mandatory RT-PCR test. This is because they are no longer required to do so eight days after arrival. In fact, the seven-day compulsory quarantine at home has also been relaxed by the government.
Mansukh Mandaviya, the Indian Union Health Minister, stated via Twitter that random sampling would take the place of 2 percent of international travelers arriving from all countries, including Canada, just to keep track of their updated guideline consequences. Post sample submission, 2% of passengers shall also be permitted to leave the airport.
Previously, the guidelines mentioned that although the reports of international passengers arriving from India were negative, they must continue to monitor their health over the next seven days.
Confirming the news, the Union Health Minister recently tweeted, “The Ministry of Health has issued revised guidelines for International arrivals guidelines to come in effect from 14th February. Follow these diligently, stay safe, and strengthen India’s hands in the fight against Covid-19.”
The @MoHFW_INDIA has issued revised guidelines for International Arrivals ✈️
— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) February 10, 2022
Guidelines to come in effect from 14th February.
Follow these diligently, stay safe & strengthen India’s hands in the fight against #COVID19.
Main features include:
📖 https://t.co/J9e8ZJw3qw (1/6)
While continuing the tweet thread, the Union Health Minister further shared, “Besides uploading a negative RT-PCR report (taken 72 hrs prior to journey), option to upload a certificate of completing full primary vaccination schedule of COVID-19 vaccination provided from countries on a reciprocal basis. 14 days Self-Monitoring post-arrival as against 7 days Home Quarantine as was mandated earlier. Need for undertaking the RT-PCR test on the 8th day and uploading the same on Air Suvidha portal is dispensed with.”
Besides uploading negative RT-PCR report (taken 72 hrs prior to journey), option to upload certificate of completing full primary vaccination schedule of COVID-19 vaccination provided from countries on a reciprocal basis.
— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) February 10, 2022
The list of countries: https://t.co/uhN7111bYi (2/6)
Additionally, The latest guidelines mention that the mandatory 72-hour report on RT-PCR has been dropped if the traveler manages to show their authentic Vaccination certificate. Indubitable to mention, the confirmation of a fully vaccinated individual shall enable them to skip other time-consuming formalities at the airport.
However, After arriving from Canada, if the authority realizes any symptomatic passengers during airport screening, they will be immediately isolated and referred under medical observation, according to the health protocol. If they are positive, their contact shall be identified as well as managed in accordance with the protocol.
In case a traveler is diagnosed positive, their specimens shall be sent to the genetic testing at the INSACOG lab network. Furthermore, the guidelines ensured all the concerned readers that the traveler(s)who are diagnosed positive would be isolated or treated through the standard protocols and proceedings.
Well, all-in-all, that’s amazing news for travelers arriving from Canada and other countries, as this would not just be time-saving but encourage international travelers to be fully vaccinated before traveling.
Here’s the list of Countries other than Canada which shall be taken under the same guidelines:
- Albania
- Andorra
- Angola
- Antigua & Barbuda
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bangladesh
- Bahrain
- Belarus
- Brunei Darussalam
- Botswana
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Cambodia
- Chile
- Columbia
- Commonwealth of Dominica
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Cyprus
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- Georgia
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Ireland
- Israel
- Kazakhstan
- Kingdom of Morocco
- Kyrgyzstan
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Liechtenstein
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Mozambique
- Myanmar
- Namibia
- Nepal
- New Zealand
- Netherlands
- Nicaragua
- North Macedonia
- Oman
- Paraguay
- Panama
- Portugal
- Philippines
- Qatar
- Romania
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- San Marino
- Saudi Arabia
About Ankita View All Posts
Ankita Awasthi has been a content writer for over half a decade now. She seeks to satiate her writing urge by charting creative blogs with up-to-the-minute information. In true wordsmith spirit, she believes that a creative head never sleeps! Her blogs constantly aspire to inspire readers to live their travel dream. Her writing genre covers Indian tourism destinations, offbeat locales and travel guides with focus on its rich art history, culture, heritage, nature trails and travelling attributes.
