New Delhi, Dec 29 (IANS): Amid a global resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Union Health Ministry has made it mandatory for travellers from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand to undergo RT-PCR tests before departure.

"International passengers travelling from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand to India will be mandatorily required to undergo RT-PCR tests before their departure from these countries/destinations and upload the Covid negative RTPCR test report on the Air Suvidha portal from January 1, 2023," the Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

The test should be conducted within 72 hours before their journey to India, the statement noted.

This requirement is in addition to the random 2 per cent tests of all international passengers upon their arrival in India irrespective of the port of departure.

Meanwhile, India reported total 268 fresh Covid cases on Thursday in the last 24 hours.

The active caseload of the country stands at 3,552 cases, accounting for 0.01 per cent of the country's total positive cases.

The weekly and daily positivity rates stood at 0.17 per cent and 0.11 per cent, respectively.