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India's new quarantine guidelines: Travellers to pay for 7 days; remaining 7 to be at home

The ministry has allowed states they can develop their own protocol with regards to quarantine and isolation as per their assessment.

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The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Sunday made it mandatory for stranded Indians arriving from abroad to check into an institutional quarantine for 14 days - seven days paid institutional quarantine at their own cost, followed by seven days of self-isolation at home.  
The Ministry has issued a fresh set of guidelines for the international arrivals stating all travelers would have to give an undertaking that they would stick to the above rule to ensure least chances of transmission.

Only for exceptional and compelling reasons such as cases of human distress, pregnancy, death in family, serious illness and parent(s) accompanied by children below ten years, as assessed by the receiving states, home quarantine may be permitted for 14 days.

Use of Aarogya Setu app shall be mandatory in such cases, explained the Ministry. Furthermore, the ministry has allowed states they can develop their own protocol with regards to quarantine and isolation as per their assessment.

Here are the latest guidelines issued by @MoHFW_INDIA for passengers arriving via international flights.

Travellers are requested to strictly follow these norms & help in India's fight against #COVID?19 #WeShallOvercome#IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/YdwcITd2vP
- MoCA_GoI (@MoCA_GoI) May 24, 2020

These are the guidelines for international arrivals:


1.   Before boarding, all travelers shall give an undertaking that they would undergo mandatory quarantine for 14 days - seven days paid institutional quarantine at their own cost, followed by seven days isolation at home with self-monitoring of health.
2.    Only for exceptional and compelling reasons such as cases of human distress, pregnancy, death in family, serious illness and parent(s) accompanied by children below ten years, as assessed by the receiving states, home quarantine may be permitted for 14 days. Use of Aarogya Setu app shall be mandatory in such cases
3.    Dos and Don'ts shall be provided along with ticket to the travelers by the agencies concerned
4.    All passengers shall be advised to download Arogya Setu app on their mobile devices
5.    At the time of boarding the flight/ ship, only asymptomatic travelers will be allowed to board after thermal screening
6.    Passengers arriving through the land borders will also have to undergo the same protocol as above, and only those who are asymptomatic will be enabled to cross the border into India
7.    Self-declaration form in duplicate shall be filled by the person in the flight/ship and a copy of the same will be given to Health and Immigration officials present at the airport/ seaport/ Iandport. The form may also be made available on Aarogya Setu app
8.    Suitable precautionary measures such as environmental sanitation and disinfection shall be ensured at the airports as well as within the flights
9.    During boarding and at the airports, all possible measures to ensure social distancing to be ensured
10.    Suitable announcement about Covid-19 including precautionary measures to be followed shall be made at airports/port and in flights/ships and during transit
11.    While on board the flight/ ship, required precautions such as wearing of masks, environmental hygiene, respiratory hygiene, hand hygiene etc. are to be observed by airline/ ship staff, crew and all passengers
12.    On arrival, thermal screening would be carried out in respect of all the passengers by the Health officials present at the airport/ seaport/ Iandport
13.    The passengers found to be symptomatic during screening shall be immediately isolated and taken to medical facility as per health protocol
14.    The remaining passengers shall be taken to suitable institutional quarantine facilities, to be arranged by the respective State/ UT Governments
15.    These passengers shall be kept under institutional quarantine for a minimum period of 7 days. They shall be tested as per ICMR protocol available at https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/Revisedtestingguidelines.pdf. If they test positive, they shall be assessed clinically
a. If they are assessed as mild cases, they will be allowed home isolation or isolated in
the COVID19 Care Centre (both public and private facilities) as appropriate.
b. Those having moderate or severe symptoms will be admitted to dedicated Covid Health facilities and managed accordingly.
16.    If found negative, they shall be advised to further isolate themselves at home and self-monitor their health for seven days
17.    In case, any symptoms develop they shall inform the district surveillance officer or the state and national call center (1075).