A bench of Acting Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Navin Chawla noted that petitioner Pravasi Legal Cell sought to withdraw the petition in view of the present status of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was submitted in the petition that the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued guidelines for international arrivals dated January 7, 2022, which provided for protocols to be complied with by international travellers as well as those to be followed by airlines and all points of entry (airports, seaports and land border).

The Standard Operating Procedure was implemented with effect from January 11, 2022, till further orders, it has said. The plea said that as per the guidelines, incoming travellers are required to upload their COVID-19 RT PCR test results on a government portal to be monitored by regional authorities on the eighth day, while continually monitoring their health for another week.

Those passengers found symptomatic during the screening will be isolated and taken to a medical facility. If positive, their samples would be sent for genome sequencing to confirm the Omicron strain, and all other passengers have to observe 7-day mandatory home quarantine, it has said.

It has been further submitted that the guideline making it mandatory for all the international passengers to undergo 7-day home quarantine has affected the international passengers especially NRIs and other Indians working abroad to make a short visit to India for various reasons.

The NGO has said that countries all over the world have made it mandatory for travellers to provide 72-hours pre-departure RT-PCR test results, which is sufficient to show the person is not infected.

However, the authorities insisting on 7-day mandatory quarantine have made it difficult for all the Indians travelling back for short trips, it has said.?

With PTI inputs.