NEW DELHI: The government on Tuesday issued
Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) for people who have recently traveled to
the United Kingdom in view of the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 detected in northwestern Europe.
Union health ministry releasing the SOPs said that the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 is more transmissible and affects the younger population.
The ministry in its statement also warned that the changes in the spike protein of the virus may result in the virus becoming more infectious and spreading more easily between people.
Here are the latest guidelines: - All international travelers are required to declare travel history of the past 14 days and fill the self-declaration forms.
- Those international travelers from the UK who have arrived in India between November 25 and December 8, 2020 (1st & 2nd week from November 25) will have to undergo RT-PCR tests.
- In the case of a positive sample, the spike gene-based RT-PCR test will also be performed.
- Passengers testing positive will be sent to an institutional isolation facility by respective state authorities.
- State governments will ensure that passengers traveling from or transiting through airports in the UK and disembarking in India undergo RT-PCR test upon arrival.