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HomeIndiaIndian students travelling via Serbia stranded at airport after new quarantine rules

Indian students travelling via Serbia stranded at airport after new quarantine rules

The Indian Embassy in Serbia said it is helping evacuate over 200 Indians, mostly students, stuck at Belgrade airport.

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New Delhi: The Indian Embassy in Serbia Monday announced that it is helping evacuate over 200 Indians, mostly students, at Belgrade airport, who have been stranded due to sudden changes in the country’s new quarantine guidelines.

Most of the students were travelling to Canada via Serbia on an indirect route.

“Out of 205 stranded Indians at Belgrade airport, 120 are traveling today by Lufthansa. Indians travelling by other airlines will fly today or tomorrow,” said the embassy in a tweet.

It added that embassy officials are in touch with airport authorities and airlines to ensure the departure of all Indians.

Earlier, the embassy said Covid-19 testing of stranded passengers at Belgrade airport has been started, and airlines are rescheduling their flights so that they may avoid the new quarantine guidelines.

Videos circulating online showed Indians sitting on their luggage and camping on the floors of the airport.

While the embassy is helping evacuate stranded passengers, other Indians with flights booked via Serbia asked about future plans.

A Twitter user named Dhanashekar asked the embassy, “Please reply for people who’re travelling in the second and third week of July, we are terribly confused. we are stuck in the middle, and don’t have an option to reschedule the flights (sic)”.

Serbia’s new Covid rules for citizens from special risk countries

All foreign citizens arriving in Serbia from countries of special risk like India will receive mandatory quarantine measures for 7 days in home self-isolation, according to the Serbian government’s new Covid-19 entry conditions updated on the ministry of foreign affairs website Sunday.

They will also have to undergo mandatory testing within the first 24 hours of arrival and mandatory testing on the 7th day, carried out by Serbia’s Institute of Public Health at the expense of the person being tested.

Foreign citizens from countries of special risk can enter Serbia if they have one of the three documents — a negative PCR test result from the country they came from 48 hours prior; a vaccine certificate issued by Serbia or by a foreign state with which it has an agreement on the recognition of vaccination or a certificate of overcoming Covid-19 (e.g. (Greece, Hungary, Romania, Slovenia, Turkey, UAE, Czech Republic); or a certificate of overcoming Covid-19.

For the last option, the individual must have been diagnosed with the virus, provided that no less than 14 days and no more than six months elapsed from the first test. Again, the test must be issued by Serbia’s Institute of Public Health or the competent authority of the state with which the Republic of Serbia has concluded an agreement or de facto reciprocity on the recognition of such documents.

Additionally, foreign citizens from special risk countries must complete the ‘Foreigners Surveillance Registration’, available online, and produce a personally signed statement of consent of acceptance of quarantine measures.

Serbian citizens arriving from countries of special risk like India will also have to undergo quarantine for 7 days in home self-isolation, states the foreign ministry website.


Also read: Wolf-warrior diplomacy is being hard-wired into China’s foreign policy, Shivshankar Menon says


 

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