All passengers from UK to be tested for Covid-19 on arrival: Health ministry

India UK Flights: Amid Covid strain in India, the Central government has decided to resume the flights between India and the United Kingdom from January 8 which were suspended since December 23 in an order to contain the spread of mutant coronavirus strain. Meanwhile, the new mutant strain of the novel coronavirus has been detected in India. Since India-UK Flights are going to resume on January 8, the Union Health Ministry issued standard operating procedure (SOP) regarding the same. Also Read | Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan announces cost of coronavirus vaccine in India All the passengers coming to and from the UK between January 8 and January 30 would be subjected to the self-paid coronavirus tests on arrival, the health ministry said. Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri stated that "Flights from India to UK to restart from Jan 6 while flight operations from UK to India will resume on Jan 8. 30 flights will operate every week -- 15 each by Indian & UK carriers. This schedule is valid till Jan 23." Health Ministry issued SOP for Epidemiological Surveillance and Response for new variant of COVID-19 in context of regulated resumption of limited flights originating from United Kingdom to India from Jan 8. Also Read | Pulwama Encounter: Two terrorists killed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama Also, passengers testing positive shall be isolated at institutional facilities, it added. All the passengers arriving from the UK should be carrying negative RT-PCR test report for which test should have been conducted within 72 hours prior to undertaking the journey. “The states/UTs government concerned are requested to set up help desks at airports concerned to facilitate implementation of the SOP,” it stated. So far, India has reported 29 cases of new mutant strain of Covid that led to lockdown in UK. -PTC News

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