[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] India has strengthened quarantine measures in response to the emergence of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron.
According to The Hindu on the 29th, the Indian Ministry of Health announced that starting from December 1, travelers arriving from 12 countries including South Africa, Botswana, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Israel, and China will be required to undergo a 7-day self-quarantine.
Arrivals from these countries must take a COVID-19 test immediately upon arrival. If the test result is negative, they must enter self-quarantine and take another test on the 8th day after arrival.
Additionally, new mandatory regulations have been introduced for all arrivals, including submission of detailed travel records for the 14 days prior to entry and uploading a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) negative test result before boarding.
However, unlike the UK and others, India has not implemented a ban on entry from South Africa and neighboring countries.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a thorough review of the plan to resume regular international flights scheduled for December 15.
The federal government also instructed local governments to expand COVID-19 testing infrastructure and conduct strict testing.
Rajesh Bhushan, Deputy Health Minister, said, "We must prepare for the possibility of a surge in infections due to Omicron," adding, "Without sufficient testing, it is very difficult to understand the extent of the spread."
India's recent daily testing volume is about 1 million tests. During the severe COVID-19 outbreak from April to June, the daily testing volume was increased to over 3 million tests at times.
India's daily new confirmed cases exceeded 410,000 in early May but have recently dropped below 10,000. The daily new deaths, which once surged above 4,000, have now decreased to between 200 and 400.
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