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Government issues revised guidelines for international passenger

The Government of India (GoI) has revised guidelines for those arriving in India, stating that the revision had been brought in “in view of increasing vaccination coverage across the globe and the changing nature of the pandemic.’’ The revised SOP (standard operating procedure), which will be valid from October 25, requires mandatory COVID-19 RT-PCR negative report for those boarding a flight to India. All travellers should submit a self-declaration form on Air Suvidha portal before their scheduled trip and upload the negative RT-PCR report. This test should have been conducted within 72 hours before undertaking the journey, according to the guidelines. Each passenger shall also submit a declaration concerning the authenticity of the report and would be liable for criminal prosecution if found otherwise. Thermal screening would be carried out on all passengers by the health officials present at the airport. The self-declaration form filled online shall be shown to the airport health staff. If a traveller was coming from a country with which India had reciprocal arrangements for mutual acceptance of the World Health Organisation approved COVID-19 vaccines and was fully vaccinated, that person shall be allowed to leave the airport and do self-monitoring for 14 days post arrival. If partially/not vaccinated, travellers should undertake post-arrival COVID-19 test, after which they would be allowed to leave the airport. Home quarantine Travellers should go in for home quarantine for seven days and get a retest done on the eighth day of arrival, and if negative, further self-monitor their health for the next seven days, said the guidelines. The list of countries from where travellers would need to follow additional measures on arrival, including post-arrival testing (countries at risk) (updated as on 20th October 2021) includes countries in Europe such as the United Kingdom; South Africa; Brazil; Bangladesh; Botswana; China, Mauritius; New Zealand; and Zimbabwe. The Health Ministry has clubbed under Category-A the list of countries with which the GoI has agreement for mutual recognition vaccination certificate for individuals fully vaccinated with nationally recognised or WHO recognised vaccine and those exempting Indian citizens fully vaccinated with nationally recognised or WHO recognised vaccines. These countries are the U.K., France, Germany, Nepal, Belarus, Lebanon, Armenia, Ukraine, Belgium, Hungary and Serbia. Travellers from countries, excluding those nations at risk, would be allowed to leave the airport and shall self-monitor their health for 14 days post arrival. “This is applicable to those from all countries, including the ones with which reciprocal arrangements for mutual acceptance of WHO approved COVID-19 vaccines exist.” Fifteen days must have elapsed since the completion of the vaccination schedule. The contacts of a suspect case would be those seated in the same row, 3 rows in front and 3 rows behind along with identified cabin crew. Also, all the community contacts of those travellers who have tested positive (during home quarantine period) would be subjected to quarantine for 14 days and tested as per the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) protocol. The new guidelines also provide protocols to be complied with by international travellers. It also lists rules to be followed by airlines, points of entry (airports, seaports and land borders) for risk profiling of passengers.

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Tourism Back on Track Amid Covid-19 as Sri Lanka Records Over 7,000 Foreign Visitors in October 2021

International Travel News: Over 7,000 tourists have arrived in Sri Lanka so far this month, giving a boost to the country’s tourism industry which took a blow due to the Covid-19 pandemic, local media reported on Monday.Also Read - Lesser-Known Facts About Gujarat's Somnath Temple Which Attracts Visitors From All Over The World According to official figures, 7,096 tourists arrived in Sri Lanka from October 1 to 13, reports Xinhua news agency. Also Read - Love Feni, a Local Goa Delight? Then THIS Place is a Must-Visit as it is 'All About Alcohol' Tourism Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said if the present trend continues, October was likely to record the highest monthly arrivals for this year. Also Read - Indian Railways Runs Festival Special Trains Between Mumbai, Nagpur And Pune - Bookings Start Today The Tourism Ministry said that so far this year, September saw the highest tourist arrivals of 13,547. With the arrivals up to October 13 added, 45,413 tourists have arrived in the country since the re-opening of borders on January 21, the Ministry said. Ranatunga said that with the easing of travel restrictions, there was a growing interest from global travellers to visit the country.

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Karnataka government ends RT-PCR checks at airports for international travellers

In a bid to make travel convenient for all, the government of Karnataka has decided to end RT-PCR checks at airports for international travellers coming to the state. The government made the announcement on Monday and said that the RT-PCR certificates will no longer be checked. All flyers need to do is upload their vaccination certificates on the Air Suvidha portal and airlines will check these before letting passengers board the flights. The decision comes after a huge decline in COVID-19 cases in the state for the first time since March 2020. Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar said checking of RT-PCR reports of international passengers on arrival will now won’t be required. Not only this, the international passengers will not be checked for oxygen saturation levels. However, if someone shows COVID symptoms like cough, fever, cold or breathing difficulties, the same will be checked. Schools have also all set to reopen in the state for class 1 to 5 students from Oct 25. Earlier, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said the COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has submitted their report and a decision on schools reopening would be soon announced. Not only this, the government has also allowed the opening of swimming pools in the state and those who have taken their two doses can start utilising the pool facilities. As of now, 50 percent of capacity has been allowed in every batch. Everyone will be screened for fever and respiratory symptoms.

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Caravan tourism in Kerala looks promising

Caravan tourism in India is yet to catch up, but the tourism industry in Kerala is slowly inching towards it. The Kerala government’s Keravan Kerala project is seeing caravan parks opening all across the state. The tourism and trade industry in Kerala has also guaranteed its support to this caravan tourism policy. The caravan parks are coming up in beautiful natural locations, with high levels of security and hygiene. The various tourism and trade industry stakeholders in the state have assured that it will develop hybrid packages for caravan tourism in the state. The demand for caravans could rise, and people might tend to look for quiet places where it is not overcrowded. Caravan tourism could prove to be in demand for families, honeymooners, or even groups of friends. Kerala is a favourite destination for many, and with this additional experience, it could be a great new way to revive tourism in the state now that the pandemic situation has improved in the country, and the rest of the world. The caravan tourism policy is even better when you realise that through this initiative, previously unexplored places will open up for travel. So all those destinations in the state of Kerala that were previously unexplored, would now be accessible. Moreover, caravan tourism is a sustainable activity, and will additionally help local communities too. Kerala faced hard times due to the pandemic in the last year and a half, and is now fighting a deadly flood and landslides. If caravan tourism booms in the state, it will help the travel industry and its various stakeholders.

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Good News! Domestic Flights to Run at Full Capacity From Today – Deets Inside

New Delhi: As the Covid situation is somewhat stable in the country, the government has removed restrictions on domestic aviation capacity from today i.e., October 18 onwards. Scroll down for more details.Also Read - Rejoice! No More RT-PCR Checks For International Travellers at Karnataka Airports Good News! Domestic Flights to Run at Full Capacity From Today – Deets Inside According to the revised order by the Union ministry of civil aviation, now airlines will be running domestic flights without any capacity restrictions starting from today. Also Read - Domestic Flights: Jyotiraditya Scindia Flags Off 6 Routes Expanding Aerial Connectivity in North-East India. Check Details As per the PTI report, the order was issued in view of the increase in “passengers’ demand for air travel,” the ministry stated. Since September 18 this year, the carriers were operating at 85 per cent of capacity due to the stringent Covid-19 restrictions. Also Read - Sydney Travel Alert: No Quarantine For Foreign Flyers From November 1 The deadly second wave of the coronavirus cases had forced the airlines to limit domestic flight operations to 50 percent capacity in June. The limitation continued till July, after which it was increased to 65 percent. The ministry further eased the limit to 72.5% between August 12 and September 18, owing to the improvement in the Covid situation in the country. The order to resume flights operation to 100 percent capacity was issued on October 12. “It has been decided to restore the scheduled domestic air operation with effect from October 18, 2021, without any capacity restriction,” the aviation ministry had stated, according to a report in HT. The decision was taken after a “review of the current status of scheduled domestic operations viz-a-viz passenger demand for air travel”, the notice mentioned. Private Carriers & Their Responses The revision in passengers’ capacity has been fully welcomed by the major carriers of the country. “It is a welcome move as we believe that with recent pent-up demand combined with the upcoming festive season, it will be great to operate flights on pre-pandemic levels. We are quite bullish about the overall growth and demand for domestic travel, ” said IndiGo in an PTI report. Another private carrier, Vistara said the decision will help in “accelerating recovery from the severe impacts of the pandemic as demand continues to grow, especially with the growing confidence in air travel and the much-awaited festive season,” news agency PTI reported quoting the spokesperson.

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Calangute-candolim Buzzing With Domestic Tourists

CALANGUTE: After months of low-key tourism activity, a huge rush of during the ongoing long Dussehra weekend has kept tourism stakeholders in the on their toes. It is especially chaotic in the Calangute-Baga area. All Covid precautions were thrown to the wind with most visitors not wearing face masks or maintaining social distancing, while popular restaurants close to the beach were also packed to capacity. Public buses plying from Calangute to Panaji and Mapusa were also packed with all SOPs being ignored in the rush to carry the maximum passengers. Exuberant tourists thronging the beach also kept lifeguards on their toes by rushing into the sea despite red flag warnings of rough sea conditions. More than 50 people were saved from drowning at Calangute and Baga on Saturday and Sunday. With the new tourism season officially on from the beginning of this month and Covid cases reducing, tourist footfalls are expected to grow by Diwali in two weeks. In view of the large number of tourists expected, the Calangute panchayat recently convened a meeting of the traffic and tourist police to ensure smooth traffic arrangements and to ensure there are no illegal activities or harassment of tourists on the beach. The panchayat said there will be zero tolerance to touts, beggars and hawkers on the beach.

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