Foreign tourists on regular flights will be able to enter
India starting Nov. 15.
It is the first time India has allowed foreign tourists to
enter the country since March 2020 when it imposed its first nationwide
coronavirus lockdown.
It is unclear whether arriving tourists will have to
quarantine but they must be fully vaccinated and test negative for the virus
within 72 hours of their flight.
The decision, announced earlier this month by India’s home
ministry, comes as the country’s daily infections have dropped below 20,000
from a peak of 400,000 in May and more people have been vaccinated.
India has administered more than 970 million vaccine doses.
Nearly 70% of the eligible adult population has had at least one dose.
The easing of restrictions on foreign tourists visiting the
country, however, coincides with India’s domestic tourist and festive season.
Already, it has prompted concerns by health officials who have warned against
complacency.
Earlier this month, the Indian Council of Medical Research,
India’s premier medical body, cautioned that “revenge tourism” could lead to a
surge in COVID-19 infections if tourists don’t strictly adhere to safety
protocols.
According to official data, less than 3 million foreign
tourists visited India in 2020, which was a dip of more than 75% as compared to
2019.