Children below five years are exempted from both pre- and post-arrival testing for COVID-19, according to the revised guidelines for international arrivals released on Thursday by the Health Ministry.
The guidelines, however, state that in case they are found symptomatic for coronavirus infections on arrival or during the home quarantine period, they shall undergo testing and be treated according to protocol. This standard operating procedure (SOP) shall be valid from November 12 (00.00 hours IST) till further orders, the Ministry stated.
The Health Ministry said that the guidelines for international arrivals in India have been reviewed in view of increasing vaccination coverage across the globe and the changing nature of the pandemic.
In its guidelines, the Ministry said that the global trajectory of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to decline, with certain regional variations, but added that there is a need to monitor the continuously changing nature of the virus and the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC), which must still remain in focus.
