All international passengers are now required to complete a mandatory online health self-declaration before arriving in India. This procedure has been introduced by the Ministry of Civil Aviation to counter the rapid Ebola outbreak in Africa.

Termed Air Suvidha 2.0, the contactless digital platform enables travellers to submit their health and travel information online before departure from their respective locations.

The move follows the World Health Organisation’s declaration of the Ebola/Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

The process applies to passengers arriving from all countries. Passengers need to complete the Air Suvidha self-declaration form online 24 hours before starting their journey. They would have to provide their travel history over the previous 21 days, besides giving details of exposure to any Ebola-affected regions. Symptoms such as fever, body aches or bleeding, if any, must be mentioned.

After submission of the form, travellers can download the same and present it at the International Travel Health Desk or immigration counter on arrival in India.

The digital process helps reduce airport congestion and enables faster identification of potentially at-risk travellers.

Air Suvidha 2.0 digitises the process by sharing passenger information in real time with airport health officers, immigration authorities and state surveillance teams.- editor@nrifocus.com