India, France and Bermuda adjust Covid border rules

India eased testing and quarantine requirements for international travellers on 14 February. The changes will enable visitors to the country – regardless of vaccination status – to ‘self-monitor’ for the first 14 days of their trip, rather than undergoing the previous mandatory week-long quarantine period.

In addition, fully vaccinated travellers will be able to fill in a pre-travel declaration form to avoid taking a pre-flight PCR test. Under fives are exempt from the declaration form. Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated travellers will still be required to take a test, however.

Day eight testing requirements have also been removed.

The changes follow the publication of a bulletin announcing the new rules, which was published by the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on 10 February.

However, international commercial passenger flights to India will remain suspended until 28 February, following several delays to plans to reopen the country to international travel.

France has eased testing requirements for non-EU vaccinated travellers

Fully vaccinated travellers to France from non-European Union (EU) countries are also no longer required to present a negative Covid-19 test upon arrival in the country, following a rule change on Saturday 12 February.

Previously, only visitors from other EU countries were able to bypass the testing requirement.

According to a statement by Prime Minister Jean Castex, “In view of the new phase of the pandemic characterised, in most countries, by the predominance of the Omicron variant and a high level of vaccination, the government has decided to lighten the health control system at the borders, particularly for vaccinated travellers.”

Unvaccinated and partially vaccinated visitors to the country will still be required to provide a negative Covid-19 test within 48 hours of departure and quarantine upon arrival in France, as well as provide an essential reason for travel.

Bermuda will ban unvaccinated visitors from 7 March

The Caribbean island of Bermuda has announced that it will require all international travellers to prove that they are fully vaccinated from 7 March.

However, unvaccinated travellers over the age of 12 will no longer be permitted to visit the island after this date.

Under the new rules, international travellers will be required to provide certification proving their current vaccination status, alongside a negative coronavirus test taken within 48 hours of arrival. In addition, they will be required to fill in a Traveller’s Authorisation form before arrival.

Under the old rules, applicable until 7 March, all travellers over the age of 18 are required to provide proof of a negative Covid test taken within four days if PCR, and three days if antigen. In addition, travellers must undergo a PCR test at the airport upon arrival and quarantine until the results are returned, as well as providing follow-up tests on the 4th and 10th days of their stay.