PM Modi: We need to follow a new mantra - all those who have come in contact with an infected person should be traced and tested within 72 hours. 80% of active cases are from 10 states, if the virus is defeated here, the entire country will emerge victorious. The target of bringing down the fatality rate below 1% can be achieved soon. It has emerged from the discussion that there is an urgent need to ramp up testing in Bihar, Gujarat, UP, West Bengal, and Telangana. Containment, contact tracing, and surveillance are the most effective weapons in this battle. 

From 8th August onwards, self-declaration and application for exemption from institutional quarantine for incoming international passengers availing of VBM flights will be taken up digitally. This platform will be available for all international arrival passengers at www.newdelhiairport.in . Passenger form link is
https://dev2019r2.newdelhiairport.in/covid-19-exemption-international-passenger

8th to 11th Aug will be transition period where both the process (digital and manual) will run in parallel to give all stake holder & passengers’ time to adopt new digitized system. From 11 th Aug onwards, all stakeholders will move to digital platform to reduce passenger-processing time on arrivals. The guidelines to utilize the the portal developed for self declaration and exemption applications of arriving international passengers (www.newdelhiairport.in) are attached .

As per the revised guidelines of MoHFW, this website is live with effect from 8th Aug, 2020 and named as Air Suvidha. 

PARIS - INDIA:
Flight operations are strictly in accordance to the commercial parameters and SOPs issued by the competent authorities in India.

PLEASE NOTE:
The Government of Karnataka has advised Air France of certain new mandatory requirements. All passengers arriving to Bengaluru are required to undergo a Covid-19 Test or Rapid Antigen Test for COVID-19 before their flight (< 72 hours). Passengers will be allowed to board only with the required certification of the test & confirmation of a negative result.

ELIGIBILITY SCOPE:

1. Passengers are eligible to fly to India with journey commencement from any global point of origin.
2. Indian nationals.
3. Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cardholders who fall under below categories. (As per guidelines of Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India).

A) Minor children who hold OCI cards and whose parents are Indian nationals.
B) OCI cardholders who wish to come to India on account of family emergencies like critical medical conditions of immediate family member or death.
C) Married couples where one spouse is an OCI cardholder and the other is an Indian national.
D) Students ,who are OCI cardholders where at least either of their parents are an Indian citizen or an OCI cardholder.
4. Foreign nationals holding diplomatic, official, UN/International organisation, Employment and Project category visas.
5. Foreign nationals holding visas issued after March 18, 2020.

PROCESS :
As per Government of India norms, mandatory for all passengers to register with the Embassy of India - Paris, prior to departure via https://forms.gle/ddKHqae5cVrstXbu8. This portal is global in nature and passengers can register from any place in the world.
Mandatory for passengers to complete “Undertaking cum Indemnity Bond” and submit to Air France staff before boarding at CDG. This form can be downloaded via www.airfrance.in (and is to be pre-filled and printed) or will be available at boarding gate CDG.
Mandatory to download the “Aarogya Setu” application on mobile devices.
Passengers to undergo mandatory quarantine for 14 days upon arrival into India. (7 days compulsory hotel quarantine at own expense + 7 days home quarantine).
Passengers are recommended to pre-book hotels before departure. Strongly recommended to passengers to confirm & book directly with the hotel if empanelled by State Governments for COVID-19 quarantine.
Upon arrival in India, all passengers will be medically screened and would mandatorily have to undergo quarantine by making due payment at the first port of deboarding as per the Government of India guidelines on this issue. For passengers transiting the 3 gateways, may arrange an e-pass via the State Government to quarantine at their point of final destination. Passengers are personally responsible to reconfirm the regulations & arrange e-pass via the State Government / GOI websites. In absence of required documents, the procedure as applicable by the authorities will be final and binding.
Diplomatic, Official/ Service passport holders are allowed to do 14-days Home Quarantine. Dependent family members of diplomats with ordinary passport will have to undergo mandatory Institutional Quarantine for 7-days plus 7-days Home Quarantine.
Protocol, health measures & quarantine regulations related to COVID-19 implemented in India and as applicable at Destination State /Union Territories Government are to be adhered


In addition to above, all passengers are personally responsible to arrange and be in possession of the required heath and travel documentation such as passport, visas, heath certifications any relevant documents for ENTRY into India and confirmation of Embassy registration.

The above regulations are subject to updates.

FORM FOR ARRIVAL INTO INDIA:
-Registration with Embassy of India in Paris
Undertaking cum Indemnity Bond 

The Government of India took some very early and decisive steps in the initial stages of the pandemic, which has ensured a low death rate and high rate of recovery.

Despite the size of India’s population, the ratio of positive cases per million remains the lowest at 538, and that of deaths per million remains at 15, compared to the global average of 1453 and 68.7 respectively. In addition to this, India has shown a robust recovery rate of nearly 64% with about 5.9 lakh recoveries in total. India’s active cases remain around 300,000, while fatality rate at 2.7% is much lower than the world average of over 5%.

India’s Covid strategy rests on the three pillars of testing, contact tracing and strict containment measures. Indigenously developed digital tools such as Aarogya Setu app are being widely used to predict emerging hotspots in the country. The Aarogya Setu app is presently being used by over 140 million people in the country.

India has tested around 11.8 million people so far, making it one of the largest testing undertaken by a country. The price of RT-PCR testing kit has also been brought down substantially, owing to the ramping up of its domestic production. The testing and tracing strategy also involve widespread serum surveys being undertaken by the ICMR (Indian Council for Medical Research) to evolve a comprehensive picture of the pandemic situation in the country. Testing has been scaled upto 400,000 tests per day and this has been possible with ramping up of domestic manufacturing capacity of testing kits, especially RT-PCR and Anti body tests.

The Government of India, in close coordination with the State Governments, has massively scaled up the country’s health infrastructure. Augmentation of the number of hospital beds and Intensive Care capacity is work in constant progress. Innovative methods are being adopted, literally, on a war-footing as community centers, hotels and other spaces are converted to Covid care facilities. Oxygenation equipment and ventilators have been procured in large volumes. The armed forces, paramilitary forces, the railways, the public and private sectors and the non-governmental and voluntary sectors have pooled resources and facilities. As an example, a 10,000 bed facility was created in Delhi within the space of a week in a joint government-civil society operation.

Supply of PPEs (personal protection equipment) and masks, including from domestic sources, is adequate. This was not the case in the early stages of the pandemic. In the span of a few months, India became a PPE kit manufacturing hub. Indian organizations re-purposed units and stepped up output to meet this challenge.

India’s health-care professionals, doctors, nurses, paramedics and technicians have held the line in the face of daunting odds and at personal risk to themselves. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) of Government of India is regularly mapping the human resources in the country and these details are available on the MoHFW website. The available human resources for handling Covid crisis in the country is 16.2 mn, of which 9 mn are health care professionals and frontline workers etc. and about 7.2 mn are volunteers from Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), National Service Scheme (NSS), Indian Red Cross Society and NCC etc.

It was not just domestically that India expeditiously ramped up efforts. India’s timely supply of medicine to about 150 countries was in response to an urgent call for tackling the global pandemic. Assistance in the form of grants was provided to countries in South Asia, Africa, Latin America and Caribbean. Export of these medicines is now fully opened up as part of India’s commitment to keep global supply chains open and free.

The Directorate General of Health Services under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is coordinating data and clinical management experience across the country to study long term side effects and recovery complications in COVID 19 patients to evolve appropriate medical protocols and rehabilitation programmes. AIIMS Delhi is providing clinical management guidance and expertise through the virtual mode to hospitals and doctors within the country, whereas AIIMS Raipur, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur and PGI Chandigarh did the same with India’s friends and development partners in the SAARC region and beyond through ten courses as part of eITEC programme in which over 800 medical professionals participated globally.

India has facilitated two-way flow of information, products and expertise. Indian institutions are linked to class-leading global health-care systems and are simultaneously able to facilitate the flow of knowledge and expertise, in the other direction, to India’s development partners.

This pandemic has highlighted the strengths of India’s health-care capacities, including those in pharmaceuticals, basic research, vaccines, diagnostics, devices, tele-medicine, hospital administration, health-care supplies and related expertise. India has leveraged these capacities to emerge as the “pharmacy of the world” and a healthcare supplier to all parts of the globe. India’s pharma sector’s strengths in generics, APIs, biologics, new drug development and research have attracted positive attention. Indian products meet global standards and the industry has numerous globally certified manufacturing facilities.

An Indian vaccine has begun trials. Indian vaccine manufacturers are likely to be producers of choice as when a vaccine emerges.

The pandemic has also unleashed an unprecedented humanitarian and economic crisis which the Government of India has worked to tackle proactively. In order to protect both lives and livelihoods, following the announcement of a nationwide lock-down, the PMGKAY (Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana = Prime Minister's Food Security Scheme for the Poor) welfare program was announced in the beginning of the lock-down, in March 2020. This has now been extended up to November 2020. PMGKAY is one of the world’s largest food security projects that aims to ensure nutrition for the most vulnerable sections of the society amid the pandemic. Estimated cost of this welfare measure is about Rs.1.5 trillion, and its extension follows a Rs.21-trillion stimulus package announced by the Government in May 2020, which included a range of policy reforms and financial support programs to aid economic growth and empower the citizens amid the pandemic.

Besides this, the Government of India also undertook the world’s largest repatriation exercise to help its citizens stranded in different parts of the world, owing to the pandemic and the lock-downs. As of 13th July, more than 6 lakh stranded Indians have returned safely to their homes, including from some of the most remote parts of the world. 

Jean Piaget University, Address: Campus de Universidade Jean Piaget en, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, Tel: (+245) 955232369; (+245) 966728813; email: info@covid19gb.com
Hospital Nacional Simao Mendes, Address: Avenida Francisco Mendes, Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, Phone: +245 955 348 876
Types of covid-tests valid in the country: RT PCR test 

There is a hotline number “1025” which can be called to explain the symptoms and based on which they act and advise to stay at home or send someone to test.

There are 2 test facilities :
The Medical Research Council (MRC) Unit at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Contact: (+220) 9001025; (+220) 6221025; (+220) 3441025; (+220) 7541025; (+220) 2101025
Kotou Central Medical Stores
Both being overseen by Ministry of Health and they do not entertain walk in tests

Types of covid-tests valid in the country: PRT test

Head of the Covid Testing Team in The Gambia informs that they can do the testing on request for 8 passengers a day. It takes 24 hours to get the result.

Documents: Each passenger must carry their Resident permit/Work Permit; a copy of the Payroll Tax payment. They may not be allowed to board the bus from Banjul to Dakar unless they have Immigration clearance. 

Contact details for covid 19 tests: Dubai Health Authority: 800-342; Estijaba, Department of Health: 800-1717; Ministry of Health & Prevention: 800-1111
Test to be undertaken at the Dubai Airport itself in case required.
b. Types of covid-tests valid in the country: PCR;
c. Time validity of the test: 96 hours [Tourists given the option to show their PCR test results (valid for 96 hours) upon their arrival to Dubai or carry out a test at Dubai airports.] 

Type of covid-tests valid in Senegal: RT-PCR
Time validity of the test: The passenger presents the original COVID- 19 negative test certificate, dated less than seven (07) days from the day of the test. The certificate or the document attesting to this must be issued by a laboratory located in the State where the passenger starts or has started the journey and appearing on the list of laboratories approved by that State or a health body internationally recognized.

CIRCULAR NOTICE by Ministry of Tourism and Air transportation dated 14 July 2020 / CONDITIONS FOR AIR TRANSPORT OF PASSENGERS BOUND FOR SENEGAL / CIRCULAR N°02/2020 / UPDATE N°00/2020
Travel conditions in Senegal
1. Reminder of conditions concerning airlines
Airlines are not allowed to market air services from or to Senegal only if they fulfill one of the following conditions following conditions:
1.1. The company has a flight schedule duly approved by the Civil Aviation Authority.
1.2 The airline has a one-off/explicit authorization issued by the Civil Aviation Authority to carry out a flight or a series of flights to Senegal.
1.3 For passengers in transit, the company shall ensure that the country of departure meets the requirements of the country of destination.
1.4 The Company agrees to comply with the provisions of Circular No.1025/MTTA of 17 June 2020 concerning it. It shall, in particular complete the COVID-19 Aircraft Disinfection Record - 19 (Appendix 1)
2. Prerequisites for passenger boarding
Airlines may board passengers to an airport located in Senegal only if one of the following conditions is met:
2.1 The passenger presents the original COVID- 19 negative test certificate, dated less than seven (07) days from the day of the test. The certificate or the document attesting to this must be issued by a laboratory located in the State where the passenger starts or has started the journey and appearing on the list of laboratories approved by that State or a health body internationally recognized.
If the passenger is in transit or connecting, he or she must meet the conditions of point 2.2 if the transit has lasted more than 24 hours or if the passenger went outside the premises of the transit airport.
2.2. The passenger started his or her journey in a State where a test is not available or cannot be carried out by the passenger, at his or her own initiative and in the time required for the journey to be made. In this case the passenger shall inform a form in which:
• He declares on his honour that he does not present obvious symptoms or is not ill from COVID-19 and has not been in contact with a person ill with COVID-19.

• He agrees to submit to sampling and/or testing for COVID 19 in Senegal, if deemed necessary by the health authority at the airport, following a risk assessment (symptoms, country of departure and transit, duration of transit, stay during transit, etc.). Testing costs are at the expense of the passenger. The location and modalities of the sample and/or test is indicated to the passenger by a staff dedicated to this work.
2.3. The passenger has obtained an exemption from the Health Authority, following a risk assessment (urgency of the trip, passenger profile). In this case, the request for exemption may be requested individually or submitted and monitored by the airline on behalf of the passenger. In this case, the passenger is required to complete the declaration on honour .
The list of persons benefiting from an exemption on a specific flight is transmitted to the airline at its request.
Exemptions requests should be sent to the e-mail address published by the Health Authority.
2.4. In all of the above cases, the passenger must agree to scrupulously comply with the hygiene measures established on the ground by the airport of departure and on board the aircraft, and to those established by the company air transport, in accordance with the provisions in force, including those enacted by Circular No. 1025/MTTA/DTA/SP of 17 June 2020.

Conditions of entry into the Senegalese territory (passengers and crews).
Passengers.
The passenger who meets the admission requirements set by the immigration services is also subject to the following requirements:
3.1 He must complete a Passenger Location Form for public health, in accordance with the recommendations of the Organisation of International Civil Aviation, at the latest before disembarking at the airport of destination. This form is available online at the Blaise Diagne Dakar-Diass International Airport’s website (www.dakaraeroport.com). It is collected upon arrival at the location and at the times indicated by the staff dedicated to this work.
3.2. From the moment of disembarkation, the passenger must scrupulously respect the hygiene measures in force at Senegal's airports, including those provided in Circular No. 1025/MTTA/DTA/SP of 17 June 2020 and circular n°6639/MSAS/DGS/DP of 22 June 2020 and to those in this circular.
3.3. Where appropriate, the passenger shall present to the airport health service’s staff a negative COVID- 19 test certificate, dated less than seven (07) days from the date of the test. The certificate or document attesting it must be issued by a laboratory in the State in which the passenger is starting or has started the journey and included on the list of laboratories approved by that State or a recognized international health organization.
3.4. A passenger who does not fulfill the conditions mentioned in point 3.3 shall be subject to a test at the airport of destination in Senegal and must undergo a sample and/or make a COVID 19 test in Senegal, if it is found necessary by the airport health authority, following an assessment of the risk (symptoms, country of departure and transit, duration of transit, length of stay, etc.). The test costs are to be borne by the passenger. The place and method of sampling and testing shall be indicated to the passenger by a staff dedicated to this work.
3.5. A passenger who presents obvious symptoms must fill in a medical form provided by the airport service staff. Medical attention will be provided to him by the airport health services in accordance with the sanitary protocol in force.
3.6. 3.6. Any passenger tested positive to COVID-19 shall be taken care of by the airport health services, in accordance with the protocol in force.
3.7. Children under the age of two (02) are exempt from the provisions of this circular.
Crews.
3.8. Crew members must strictly adhere to the health measures established by their airline.
3.9. They do not have to comply with the requirements pertaining to testing prerequisites required for passengers, unless they show symptoms of COVID-19.
3.10. They must fill a crew member health form (Annex 4).
This form must be submitted to the Health Authority staff at the airport.

3.11. Crew members who carry out their rest period in Senegal are transferred from the airport to their hotel in accordance with a protocol established by their company and validated by the national health authorities.

4. Final provisions
4.1 The provisions of the present circular shall enter into force as from the date of signature. They will be regularly updated in the same form.
4.2 These provisions shall be without prejudice to the health and immigration regulations in force. 

Covid-19 test centers in Senegal:
Institut Pasteur de Dakar with 2 sampling sites in Dakar. Tel: (+221) 338399233 ; (+221) 338399232; (+221) 338592851; Mob: 781033937
IRESSEF (Research Institute for Health, Epidemiologic Monitoring and Training) with 2 sampling sites
In Diamniadio, Tel: (+221) 778722588; Mob: (+221) 709541871; (+221) 777016590, email: cov-travel@iressef.org;
In Ngor, Mob: (+221) 777689999; (+221) 773844747; email: cov-travel@iressef.org
Bacteriology-Virology Laboratory, Aristide Le Dantec Hospital, Tel: (+221) 338893800; Mob: (+221) 776333017
Military Hospital of Ouakam Laboratory, Mob: (+221) 762230485; (+221) 773571731
CIRULAR FROM PASTEUR INSTITUTE
Documents to be presented while presenting for Covid-19 test: passport and air ticket. Charges: CFA 40000 

Circular related to air transportation of passenegers in Senegal :Conditions for taking traffic from air companies Serving senegal
1. Subject
1.1 The purpose of this circular is to specify the conditions under which airlines authorized to operate air services to Senegal may take on traffic.
2. Conditions for taking on traffic
2.1 Airlines whose flight schedules have been approved by the Civil Aviation Authority or which have punctual authorisation are only allowed to embark passengers who meet the following conditions:
2.1.1 the passenger must be a resident of a country which is not on the list of countries whose residents are affected by a temporary restriction on non-essential travel to Senegal (Annex 1)
2.1.2 in the event of transit through Senegal, the passenger must meet the conditions required and published by the country of destination.
3. Exemption :
3.1. Where temporary travel restrictions continue to apply to a third country (see Annex 1), the following categories of persons are exempted from the travel restriction, irrespective of the purpose of the journey.
3.1.1. nationals of Member States of the West African Economic and Monetary Union or the Economic Community of West African States.
3.1.2. nationals of third countries legally established in Senegal and holding a residence card issued by the competent services of the Republic of Senegal; 3.1.3 Travellers with an essential function or needs (see Annex 2).
4. Final provisions :
4.1 The provisions of the present Circular shall enter into force on the date of signature. They shall be the subject of regular betting in the same form.
4.2 The present provisions are without prejudice to the immigration and health requirements in force.

Annex 1: List of countries whose nationals are subject to a temporary travel restriction in senegal
-Africa: all countries applying a restriction on the movement of Senegalese nationals
-Amercia: all countries applying a restriction on the movement of Senegalese nationals
-Asia: all countries applying a restriction on the movement of Senegalese nationals
-Europe: all countries applying a restriction on the movement of Senegalese nationals
Annex 2: Specific categories of travellers with a function or essential needs:
- Airline cabin crew. - Passengers in transit. - Diplomats, staff of international organizations and persons invited by the government or international organizations whose physical presence is necessary for the proper functioning of these organizations or work carried out in Senegal.
- Health professionals, researchers in the field of health.
- Military personnel, humanitarian workers and civil defence personnel in the performance of their duties.
- Passengers travelling for imperative family reasons. - Persons in need of international protection or for other humanitarian reasons.
- Third-country nationals studying in Senegal.
- Highly qualified third-country nationals if their employment is economically necessary and their work cannot be postponed or carried out abroad.
- Persons duly authorized by a competent authority mandated by the Government of the Republic of Senegal. 

Hub and spoke route via Dubai can be attempted by the interested passengers so long as they factor-in the challenges therein 1) Embassy of India in Dakar can explore release of seats only in Vande Bharat Mission flights (and not Emirates flights) 2) there is an element of uncertainty in the Dubai>India flights as final outcome depends inter alia on receipt of various approvals 

Based on the response via the online form received by 15 July, the Chartering Entiy would undertake preliminary viability assessment. All those keen to use the flight are thus encouraged to express their interest urgently.