In the wake of the new COVID strain “Omicron,” the government decided to restrict scheduled commercial international passenger services as well as SOPs ( Standard Operating Procedure) on testing and surveillance on incoming passengers especially, from the countries identified as “at-risk”.
The countries include the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Israel.
The decisions were taken at an urgent meeting chaired by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and were attended by various stakeholders. The effective date of resumption will depend on the global scenario. Similarly, Canada, the UK, and several EU countries have also introduced restrictions for travelers — from South Africa and its neighboring countries.