Passengers who have received both doses of the coronavirus vaccine will be allowed to directly go home or to their destination from the airport. This provision has been incorporated in the recent notice published by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation regarding the management of passengers arriving in Nepal via air route.
According to the new rule, those passengers arriving via air who can furnish a certificate that they have completed their vaccination doses and a negative PCR report conducted within 72 hours of their arrival can go directly home or any other destination from the airport. They will, however, have to stay in 10-day self-quarantine.
The local levels have been authorised to monitor whether such passengers are staying in self-quarantine based on the forms filled at the airport. Prior to this new rule, all air passengers had to stay in 10-day hotel quarantine.
Meanwhile, all passengers arriving via air must furnish a negative PCR report, the test for which should have been conducted within 72 hours of their arrival.
From now onward passengers who have not received their vaccination will have to stay in seven-day hotel quarantine. Airline companies will also have to verify whether passengers are carrying their PCR reports and whether they have filled the form uploaded by the COVID-19 Crisis Management Centre (CCMC) on its website before they board the plane.
However, if the passenger is a Nepali citizen coming to the country for the final rites of a family member then that person will be arrived to directly go home. However, such passengers must have a negative report of an antigen test based on the recommendation of the local level or CCMC. Meanwhile, such passengers must get a PCR test done on the 11th day of them staying at home.
Passengers who are differently-abled or have long-term illnesses or those (maximum 2) who have come to attend to a sick family member will also be allowed to directly go home based on the authorised letter of the respective hospital. They will, however, have to get an antigen test done.
Senior citizens above 70 years, children below five years and their attendants will also be allowed to go home directly after an antigen test. What must be noted though is that if the report of the antigen test is positive then the concerned passenger will be sent to an isolation centre or hospital.
The rule also states that migrant workers who are returning to Nepal will not have to show proof of hotel booking while boarding their flight. If their COVID test which needs to be conducted on the seventh day of them staying in hotel quarantine is negative then they can directly go home.
Migrant workers will have to stay in quarantine in a hotel that has been listed by the government. Meanwhile, the government will bear the expenses of hotel quarantine of those migrant workers who have been deported of released from prison and do not have any money. The government will also bear the expenses of their COVID-19 test and transportation expenses till their home.
From now onward, staff of diplomatic missions, international organisations and non-government organisations and their family members will not have to stay in hotel quarantine. They can stay in self-quarantine based on the recommendation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If their COVID test is negative on the 10th day of their arrival they can go to their respective offices for work.
Meanwhile, Nepali officials arriving from foreign destinations will be allowed to directly go home on condition that they stay in 10-day home quarantine. Security personnel arriving from abroad will be allowed to proceed to their destination. However, they will have to stay in their respective institutional quarantine.
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