India's move to conduct random RT-PCR tests unlikely to disrupt travel plans of holidaymakers

Some Indians who planned their holiday travel have already left for their hometowns in the last few weeks.

India's move to conduct RT-PCR test on a limited scale on passengers arriving from abroad has raised concerns among travellers but it's unlikely to have disruptive impact on the travel plans of most holidaymakers, including from the diaspora, the community members said on December 25, 2022.

The Indian government on Saturday ramped up anti-COVID measures in the wake of a surge in the number of cases in some countries including neighbouring China and made the RT-PCR test mandatory for passengers arriving from China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand.

With the reduction in cases and more widespread vaccination, India had discontinued mandatory RT-PCR tests for international passengers by November.

From Saturday, random coronavirus testing of international passengers started at airports including those in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Indore and Goa under new guidelines that require testing of two per cent of the passengers arriving in each international flight.

US-based Dr Sampat Shivangi, who is travelling to India on January 4 to attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) in Indore and AAPI's (American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin) Global Health Care summit in Hyderabad, said that India is actively monitoring Covid situation as China has exploded in Covid incidents and deaths.

"Naturally, India being China's closest neighbour is watching very carefully. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a special meeting to evaluate the situation at the highest level," he noted.

"Indeed, we are appreciative of the Government of India who fought Covid successfully and do have plans to combat any such threats. As an invited speaker at the PBD event in Indore, I am looking forward to my participation," he said.