In a major relief to international passengers arriving in India, the Union Health Ministry has removed the provision of uploading self-declaration forms on the Air Suvidha portal.
The amended order will be effective from November 22. The Air Suvidha form was a self-declaration form to be mandatorily filled by all international passengers arriving in India, containing information including their current health status and recent travel details.
“AirSuvidha was introduced when Covid was at its peak, with an aim to track people landing at Indian airports. With normal life coming back, why is it still mandatory for passengers to submit #AirSuvidha? This Urge @JM_Scindia to review the requirement & lift the dead hand of bureaucracy,” Congress leader Shashi Tharoor tweeted recently.
The revised guidelines for international arrivals said, “Travel planning: All travelers should be fully vaccinated against COVID in their home country as per the approved primary schedule.”
All passengers will be required to self-monitor their health upon arrival, as well as report to their nearest health facility or call the national helpline number (1075) / state helpline number, if they have any symptoms .
“The guidelines have been revised in view of the continuous declining trend of COVID-19 and significant progress in COVID-19 vaccination coverage globally as well as in India,” the guidelines said.
In line with the Government of India’s policy of a graded approach to COVID-19 management response, the Ministry of Civil Aviation last week said that wearing a mask It will no longer be mandatory on flights and will only be advised for now.
