Centre exempts Ukraine evacuees from Covid protocols

More than 1100 Indians, mostly students of Ukrainian institutions, returned to India on Monday, as the Union Health Ministry said here underlining that travellers from the war-hit country were exempted from all Covid-related rules.

“1,156 Indians from Ukraine have arrived in India as of February 28, with none of the passengers kept under isolation,” the ministry said. There are an estimated 18,000-plus Indian students in Ukraine.

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Amidst the Russia-Ukraine war, the Union Health Ministry revised its international travel advisory providing various exemptions for Indians being evacuated from Ukraine.

Undergoing a mandatory pre-boarding negative RT-PCR test and carrying the vaccination certificate is no longer necessary for the Indians, who are being extricated through Romania, Poland and Hungary borders. Also, there is no need for uploading the documents before departure on the Air-Suvidha portal.

In case travellers were unable to submit pre-arrival RT-PCR test report or failed to complete their Covid-19 vaccination, such passengers were allowed to submit their samples on arrival with the advice to self-monitor their health for 14 days after arrival, the Health Ministry informed the Ministry of External Affairs, which is coordinating the evacuation.

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