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RT-PCR tests not needed for inter-state travel, says ICMR in new guidelines

The Indian Council of Medical Research on Tuesday issued new guidelines for using RT-PCR tests in order to reduce pressure on diagnostic labs amid a surge in coronavirus cases. The research body said that the laboratories were facing challenges to meet the expected testing target due to the “extraordinary” caseload and staff testing positive for the infection. “The need for RT-PCR test in healthy individuals undertaking inter-state domestic travel may be completely removed to reduce the load on laboratories,” the ICMR said in a circular. It added that the RT-PCR test should not be done on individuals who have once tested positive either by RAT or RT-PCR test. “No testing is required for Covid-19-recovered individuals at the time of hospital discharge.” It said that mobile testing labs were available on Government e-Marketplace, an online portal for government departments to procure commonly-needed goods and services. The ICMR asked the states to use boost RT-PCR testing through these mobile labs. The ICMR also advised the states to use RAT tests, which have a turnaround time of 15 minutes to 30 minutes, for quick detection of cases so that patients can be treated early and the transmission of the infection can be curbed. “So far, ICMR has approved 36 RATs of which 10 are on GeM [Government e-Marketplace] portal,” the circular said. “To meet the overwhelming testing demand, it will be prudent to upscale testing through RATs.” To boost testing using RATs, the research body allowed its use at all government and private medical facilities. It also said that dedicated RAT booths can be set up in cities, towns and villages to allow people to get tested. The research body said that such booths should be operational round the clock and can be set up at vacant places in offices, schools, community centres and other areas. The ICMR also made it mandatory to enter the information of vaccination status in the testing form for RAT or RT-PCR. India is reeling under the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic and has been reporting over three lakh cases for nearly 15 days in a row, since April 22. The healthcare infrastructure is under strain due to the surge in cases. There is a shortage of oxygen, medical supplies and even hospitals. Amid this, there have been several reports that RT-PCR test results are getting delayed by days. Meanwhile, India on Wednesday registered 3,82,315 new coronavirus cases, taking the tally in the country to 2,06,65,148 since the pandemic broke out in January 2020. The toll climbed by 3,780 to 2,26,188. The number of active cases in the country stood at 34,87,229.

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Tanzania stops flights to and from India amid coronavirus surge

Tanzania has suspended flights to and from India amid the COVID-19 surge in the Southeast Asian nation, the country's health ministry said, the latest sign of its increasingly active approach to tackling the pandemic under its new president. It joins a growing list of East African countries that have halted flights to and from India, including Uganda and Kenya. The suspension is effective immediately and will apply until further notice, the statement from the ministry's permanent secretary Abel Makubi dated Tuesday said. Exceptions would be made for cargo planes and pre-approved flights on humanitarian, diplomatic, and medical missions. These are among the latest tough measures taken by the government to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus since President Samia Suluhu Hassan took office in March.

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Tourism ministry to focus on promoting offbeat destinations post COVID

Post COVID, the focus of the Ministry of Tourism will be on promoting offbeat destinations and activities such as eco-tourism, wellness retreats and mountaineering among others, minister Prahlad Patel said on Tuesday. He said this while virtually addressing the G20 Tourism Ministers' Meeting held in Italy, according to a statement issued by the ministry. Patel said India has a strong and vibrant system of traditional medicines, which provide for holistic healing and the ministry seeks to bring in tourists for this. He congratulated Italy's Minister of Tourism Massimo Garavaglia and the government of the European country for holding the G20 Tourism Ministers' Meeting in these difficult times and thanked him for bringing together the member States for a dialogue to collaborate in protecting tourism businesses, jobs and taking initiatives to frame policy guidelines to support the sustainable and resilient recovery of travel and tourism. Patel appreciated and supported the focus of the Italian G20 Presidency on recovery and ensuring new opportunities for people, the planet and prosperity by putting in place guidelines on the seven key interrelated policy areas -- safe mobility, crisis management, resilience, inclusiveness, green transformation, digital transition and investment and infrastructure, which are comprehensive and relevant for resilient, sustainable and inclusive tourism. He also conveyed India's support to the principles for a transition to a green travel-and-tourism economy, submitted by the UNWTO as a further contribution to the policy area of 'Green Transformation' for embracing sustainability in tourism. 'The ministry's focus would be on promoting off-beat destinations and places such as nature and eco-tourism, wildlife, wellness retreats, mountaineering and trekking among others. Besides, India has a strong and vibrant system of traditional medicines, which provide for holistic healing. 'India would like to offer to the world, post COVID-19, calm, peace and health through yoga, ayurveda and other forms of traditional treatments and spiritual surroundings. I am optimistic that the tourism sector would fully recover from the impact of COVID-19 disruption and emerge stronger post COVID with the rollout of vaccination programmes across the countries,' the statement quoted Patel as saying.

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UAE extends suspension of entry for travellers from India

The United Arab Emirates has extended a ban on entry from travellers coming from India, the foreign ministry in Abu Dhabi said in a statement on its website Tuesday, to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The statement did not specify a date to lift the suspension, which was first announced on April 22. "Flights between the two countries will continue to allow the transport of passengers from the UAE to India," it said. India's tally of coronavirus infections surged past 20 million on Tuesday, boosted by 357,229 new cases over the last 24 hours, while deaths rose 3,449 for a toll of 222,408, health ministry data showed. India becomes the world's second nation, after the United States, to pass the grim milestone. It took the south Asian country just over four months to add 10 million cases, versus more than ten months for its first 10 million. India's daily COVID-19 shots have fallen sharply from an all-time high reached early last month as domestic companies struggle to boost supplies and imports are limited, even as the country fights the world's worst surge in infections. Daily inoculations have averaged 2.5 million since hitting a peak of 4.5 million on April 5. A quadrupling of coronavirus cases during the period has collapsed the public health system in many regions of the country. India, with the world's biggest vaccine making capacity, has partially or fully immunised only 9.5% of its 1.35 billion people, according to data from the government's Co-Win https://dashboard.cowin.gov.in portal. Public forecasts by its only two current vaccine producers show their total monthly output of 70-80 million doses would increase only in two months or more, though the number of people eligible for vaccines has doubled to an estimated 800 million since May 1.

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Nepal Halts All Domestic Flights, Announces International Flight Suspension From May 5

The Nepal government has decided to halt all domestic flights from Monday midnight and all international flights from Wednesday midnight until May 14 in an effort to curb the growing spread of Covid-19. Passenger numbers, however, started to drop gradually and stood at 7,225 on Sunday. Bus services have been halted since April 29. Nepal has also made quarantine mandatory for everyone arriving in the country. Foreigners flying into the Kathmandu Valley are subject to a mandatory 10-day quarantine in hotels upon arrival. “The decision on flight restrictions are in place until May 14," Health Minister Hridayesh Tripathi told the Kathmandu Post newspaper. “However, charter flights will be allowed." According to statistics of Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport, domestic airlines saw an all-time one-day record of passenger numbers of 15,263 on April 28, a day before the prohibitory orders came into force enforced in Kathmandu Valley, as people scrambled to leave the capital city. The Nepal government’s decision came after the country’s Health Ministry on Sunday confirmed infections for 7,211 people, a new daily record in infections since the pandemic hit the Himalayan country early last year. Nepal witnessed less than 100 cases for most of the days in March but saw a continuous rise of cases since April with over 7,000 cases reported on Sunday for the first time. Nepal has so far reported a total of 336,030 confirmed coronavirus cases and 3,325 deaths.

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Qatar Tourism Appoints BRANDit As India Reps

BRANDit has been appointed as the integrated sales & marketing agency in India for Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) in a competitive tender bid. BRANDit will be responsible for defining and executing Qatar’s in-market trade engagement, product development and joint marketing campaign strategy while overseeing initiatives to promote the country’s attractions and events, including FIFA World Cup 2022™. They will be communicating QNTC's new tourism strategy as the country works towards realizing the Qatar National Vision 2030, positioning Qatar as a world class tourism destination. Philip Dickinson, Vice President International Markets, Qatar National Tourism Council (QNTC) said, “We are excited to have BRANDit as our marketing and sales partner in India to promote Qatar’s new value proposition to tour operators, online travel agencies and consumers at large. The team at BRANDit demonstrated a deep understanding of Qatar’s positioning and proposed an integrated approach that will inspire Indians to make Qatar their next travel destination. We look forward to working with them to aggressively drive our marketing plans in the India market.” The objective of the appointment was to find a strong partner to mastermind a strategic approach that will elevate Qatar’s destination positioning and increase awareness of its valuable assets like Qatari culture and history, natural assets such as its fantastic beaches, spectacular desert and Inland Sea, world-class arts and entertainment and adventure offerings, while also fortifying the country’s international profile and reputation. Lubaina Sheerazi, CEO & Co-founder, BRANDit added, “It is truly an honor to be entrusted with the mandate of representing the Qatar National Tourism Council in India. Qatar is a vibrant destination with innovation at the forefront. As travel gradually opens up, our role will be to support and deliver the next evolution of QNTC’s tourism strategy to place Qatar as one of the most desirable destinations for Indian travellers. It is an exciting time and with the upcoming FIFA World Cup in 2022, Qatar is truly going to be a destination to discover and look out for.” BRANDit brings to the account a wealth of destination management experience and will amplify the new value proposition for Qatar in India with a robust trade and marketing approach reaching out to the B2B segment with strategic actions to strengthen the Leisure, MICE and Celebrations’ agenda.

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