West Bengal makes RT-PCR test mandatory for those arriving from 9 countries

West Bengal has made the RT-PCR test mandatory for those coming from nine countries on arrival. As per the reports, all arriving international passengers will need to undergo the said tests after landing at the NSCBI airport, irrespective of whether they are fully vaccinated or are carrying a COVID-19 negative report.

The nine countries that have been included in the list include New Zealand, Bangladesh, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, United Kingdom, China, Botswana, South Africa, and Brazil. The decision was made after reports of new mutations of SARS-CoV-2 and the rising number of variants of concern surfaced.
An official from the state health department added that they have come up with a new protocol for international travellers after they held a meeting with experts, and that now international passengers coming from the said nine countries will have to follow the updated rules.
Reports have it that those flying from those countries to Kolkata will also be required to pay for getting their tests done at the airport. For free testing, they will be sent to a government facility, Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute at Rajarhat.
The passengers will then be allowed to go to a hotel or their home, where they will be required to stay in quarantine until they receive their RT-PCR report. As per the reports, in case anybody tests positive, they will be admitted at the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Kolkata.