Institutional quarantine period for Indian expats returning home halved

Muscat: Indian nationals in Oman and other countries now only need to spend half the time they previously had to in institutional quarantine upon landing in India, while they are checked for the symptoms of COVID-19.
While Indian expats had to previously spend 14 days in institutional quarantine before being released, they now have to spend just half that time, before being required to spend the rest of their quarantine period at home.
The declaration came from India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as part of their guidelines for international arrivals.
“Before boarding, all travellers shall give an undertaking that they would undergo mandatory quarantine for 14 days - seven days paid institutional quarantine at their own cost, followed by seven days isolation at home with self-monitoring of health,” said the ministry guidelines.
“Only for exceptional and compelling reasons such as cases of human distress, pregnancy, death in the family, serious illness and parent(s) accompanied by children below 10 years, as assessed by the receiving states, home quarantine may be permitted for 14 days. Use of the Aarogya app shall be mandatory in such cases,” added the ministry.
An official from the Embassy of India said that passengers would spend the duration of institutional quarantine in hotels, with the price they’d be required to pay depending on the class of hotel.
“If, for example, the passenger wishes to spend their quarantine in a five-star hotel in Delhi, then he would have to pay about INR 5,000 a night,” he explained. “Cheaper options are available, in the range of INR 1,500 to 2,000, depending on the class of hotel. But this depends from city to city, so for example, a five-star hotel in Kochi will not cost as much as a one in Delhi.
“Passengers who arrive at the airport are given a choice of hotels, on arrival, that fits their budgets and needs,” added the official. “This is the process being followed in all the states in India, with the exception of Bihar, where all hotel bookings for the purposes of quarantine need to be done online.”