Travellers on direct flights from the UAE and the rest of the Middle East will be required to pay for Covid-19 PCR tests on arrival in India from Monday.
Passengers from South Africa, Brazil, the UK and other parts of Europe will also be subject to the new guidelines.
Travellers from South Africa, Brazil and the UK also face stricter rules on transiting and home quarantining.
The Indian Ministry of Health announced it had updated travel regulations as a safeguard against "at-risk travellers" entering from countries where Covid-19 mutant variants had been detected.
"All travellers arriving from and transiting through on flights originating in the United Kingdom, Europe or the Middle East shall be mandatorily subjected to self-paid confirmatory molecular tests on arrival at Indian airports," the ministry stated.
All travellers arriving from and transiting through on flights originating in the United Kingdom, Europe or the Middle East shall be mandatorily subject to self-paid tests on arrival
Passengers travelling to India from the UAE are still also required to present a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours prior to their flight.
PCR tests were already required in some cities and states in India – such as Mumbai, Maharashtra and Kerala.
This will be extended to passengers arriving across India from the countries identified to "minimise the importation of mutant strains", the ministry said.
Passengers who arrive or transit from flights originating in the Middle East, the UK and Europe will need to fill in a form declaring their travel history over the previous 14 days.
They will also be required to submit details about connecting flights and their final destination in India.
Airlines have been told they should inform passengers to allow eight hours in transit when booking a connecting flight.
Direct travellers from the Middle East and mainland Europe will be allowed to exit the airport after taking the test. They will receive the results from state authorities or airport operators.
If they test positive for Covid-19, these travellers will be required to undergo treatment.
If the test is negative, they will be asked to monitor their health for 14 days.
All travellers who enter from the UK, Brazil and South Africa who test negative must still home quarantine for seven days. There will be regular checks by the state contact tracing teams, the ministry said.
They will be tested again after a week and released from quarantine if the test is negative. State officials will continue to monitor their health for another seven days.
Strict rules for some transit passengers
Passengers who arrive in India on flights that originate in Brazil, South Africa and the UK, and are booked on connecting flights, will need to remain at designated areas in the airport.
They can leave this zone only after a negative result. It may take up eight hours to obtain a result.
Travellers from Brazil, South Africa and the UK who test positive at the airport, or later during home quarantine, will be isolated at an institutional facility assigned by the state health authority.
The patient will remain at the isolation unit until the test sample is negative.
All contacts of travellers from the UK, South Africa and Brazil who test positive for Covid-19 will be asked to go to institutional quarantine centres.
Contacts are fellow passengers seated within three rows of the positive case.
The Indian government has asked airlines to insist all passengers have completed a self-declaration form listing their travel history and uploaded a negative PCR test report on the Air Suvidha portal www.newdelhiairport.in
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO
West Ham United 2 (Antonio 73', Ogbonna 90 5')
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 36', Moura 42', Kane 49')
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Profile of Foodics
Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani
Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing
Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Indika
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AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
Fast%20X
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
