Olympic team members don’t need to show RT-PCR negative report on return to India, govt says

The Health Ministry, however, said that only those individuals who have returned negative in the saliva-based test prior to their departure will be allowed to board the flight.

A perimeter fence of Odaiba Marine Park, venue of the triathlon and marathon swimming events during the Olympic Games, in Tokyo on 9 July 2021 | Akio Kon | Bloomberg

Tokyo: Athletes, officials and media returning to the country from Tokyo Olympics will not be required to produce RT-PCR negative test reports for COVID-19 before their departure from the Japanese capital, the Government of India said on Sunday.

The decision was intimated in an official letter by Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare after the Indian Olympic President Narinder Batra had earlier in the day requested the government to exempt returnees from the Tokyo Games to produce RT-PCR negative report before boarding their flights.

The Health Ministry official, however, said that only those individuals who have returned negative in the saliva-based test prior to their departure to India will be allowed to board the flight.

Besides, all those returning from Tokyo will be retested upon landing in India.

“Only asymptomatic individuals should be allowed to board the flight.

“The delegation will, however, have to be retested on arrival and would be allowed to leave the Airport after giving the samples with the condition that they will be required to undertake self-monitoring of their health for 14 days,” said the Health Ministry letter communication to Sports Ministry.

Earlier in the day, in a letter addressed to Sports Secretary Ravi Mittal, Batra said since the Olympic contingent members have been fully vaccinated and undergone tests on a regular basis in Tokyo, they be exempted from the requirement of showing RT-PCR negative test reports while returning to the country.

“Our humble request… is to allow the athletes, officials, IOA delegates, NSF officials/delegates and the media, who are coming back from Tokyo and have an accreditation card based on which Japan allowed them entry into Japan, be allowed to enter back in India without RT PCR test and report,” said Batra.

According to Tokyo Olympics COVID-19 protocols, athletes undergo antigen tests everyday and those who return positive or have values close to infection have their RT PCR tests done. Also, athletes have to leave Tokyo within 48 hours of their events getting over.

India’s entire contingent was fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before its departure for Tokyo Olympics and Batra said it should be taken into consideration.