Tamil Nadu issues Fresh Travel Guidelines amidst Omicron threat

Recently, India is facing a threat of a new variant of Covid-19, Omicron has started spreading in the country. As informed by Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian recently there is no case reported with the latest variant of Covid-19 so far in the state. However, seven passengers, who entered Chennai and Tiruchirapalli airport from other nations like Singapore, the United States and England, tested Covid-19 positive on arrival, over the last week. As per the reports, no person has been found to test positive for the Omicron variant. 

In view of the Omicron threat in the country, the state government has issued fresh travel guidelines for international and domestic tourists. 

Fresh Travel Guidelines 

International Passengers 

— Tourists coming in the state from at-risk nations, an RT-PCR test is mandatory on arrival. The list of at-risk countries includes all European nations like South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, UK, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Singapore, Zimbabwe, Hong Kong and Israel. 

— Travelers should wait at the airport before exiting till the time their Covid-19 test result comes negative. 

— In case of testing positive, the samples will be sent for whole-genome sequencing. They will be admitted in a separate isolation facility. 

— In case of testing negative, they should quarantine themselves at home for 7 days and test again on day 8. 

— Random sampling will be conducted for tourists commuting from countries other than ‘at-risk’. 

— 2% of all the passengers arriving from safe nations will have to undergo a mandatory test on arrival. 

— All tourists must submit a self-declaration form and a negative Covid-19 RT-PCR report before boarding . 

Domestic passengers 

— Thermal screening and health profiling is mandatory for all passengers. 

— All passengers travelling from Kerala state are required to carry a vaccination certificate (both doses) or a negative RT-PCR report not earlier than 72 hours of arrival. 

— E-Registration is mandatory for travelers from other States/UT throughhps://tnepass.tnega.org/#/user/pass.