Updated: November 24, 2020 10:52:18 am
While Maharashtra records fewer than 5,000 cases per day, the cases are gradually increasing in Mumbai after Diwali. (Figurative)
As of November 25, people arriving in Mumbai and other places in Maharashtra from Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Goa by air and train must carry a negative RT-PCR test report taken three to four days before the arrival, or they will be tested upon arrival. .
The Maharashtra government introduced the requirement a day after Senior Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Senior Deputy Minister Ajit Pawar hinted at the possibility of curbing the movement of people in light of the threat of a second wave of coronavirus cases after Diwali.
The order, issued by Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar, stated that the standard operating procedure for people traveling by air, train or road was issued “after careful consideration of the planning of containment areas and the availability of sanitary infrastructure. , for strict implementation by the concerned authorities of all departments of the state of Maharashtra. “
While Maharashtra records fewer than 5,000 cases per day, the cases are gradually increasing in Mumbai after Diwali. On November 16, BMC reported 409 new cases, which increased to 1,135 cases on November 22. Mumbai is contributing to nearly a fifth of the state’s new case load.
On Monday, Maharashtra registered 4,152 new cases, of which 800 were from Mumbai. There are 81,902 actively infected Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra. Officials fear that with the unregulated movement of people after Diwali there could be an increase in cases in the state and in cities like Mumbai.
New travel guidelines released Monday say that all domestic passengers traveling from Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Goa airports will be required to carry a negative RT-PCR test report and must show it upon arrival at the airport. Air passengers must have undergone RT-PCR testing three days before arrival in Maharashtra, he said.
Passengers arriving without a negative Covid test report must undergo the RT-PCR test at the airport at their own cost. Passengers will be able to return home only after taking the test. The airport will organize the test centers and charge passengers directly for the tests, he added. At train stations, those without Covid test reports will need to undergo antigen testing.
“Passengers must bring negative reports from Covid. If they do not take it, they will be tested upon arrival at the airport. If their report is positive, they will be placed in institutional quarantine according to the rules, ”said Kumar.
Another official said that those with a negative Covid report can leave the airport immediately. Those who do not have it will be screened and allowed out. “They will be contacted if their test is positive and they will be treated according to protocol,” the official said.
Similarly, train passengers arriving in Maharashtra from stations originating from or having a stop at Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Goa stations are required to carry a negative RT-PCR test report prior to enter the state. Train passengers must have undergone RT-PCR testing four days before arrival in Maharashtra, he added.
However, rail passengers who do not have a negative RT-PCR test would be screened for symptoms and body temperature at the descending railway stations. Passengers with no symptoms will be allowed to go home, but those with symptoms will be given an antigen test. Passengers will be able to go home if their antigen test comes back negative, he added.
For people entering the state by road, concerned district collectors from overland border districts should make arrangements to ensure that passengers coming from Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Goa are screened for symptoms, including body temperature. . Passengers with symptoms will be separated and subjected to an antigen test. Those who test negative will be able to travel further in Maharashtra, he added. Positive cases will be sent to Covid Care Centers. Those who do not want to take the test have the option of returning or being referred to Covid Care Centers.
The Minister of Relief and Rehabilitation, Vijay Wadettiwar, said on Monday that if necessary, in the next eight days, after a careful study of the number of cases, we will decide if a complete blockade or the imposition of some curbs or add new ones is necessary. terms. “These measures must be taken because people’s lives are important,” he said.
A spokesman for Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport said: “Those who come with a negative RT-PCR report will be able to continue. Those who have not taken a test will be directed to a kiosk to take the test. The price of the RT-PCR test is set at Rs 1,400. “
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