Updated: November 24, 2020 8:44:11 pm
Covid-19 test of passengers at New Delhi train station on November 23 (Express photo: Praveen Khanna)
The government of Maharashtra on November 23 announced new travel rules for the state, according to which those coming from Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Goa will be required to carry RT-PCR test reports for Covid-19. The rules go into effect on November 25.
What are the rules for road, train and air travel, and what if a passenger doesn’t have the test reports? All your questions answered.
What are the rules for flyers?
The new travel guidelines 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. The test should have been done three days (72 hours) before your arrival in Maharashtra.
What happens if a passenger cannot have an RT-PCR test before departure?
Passengers arriving without a negative Covid test report will have to undergo the RT-PCR test at the airport at their expense. 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.
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They will be contacted if their test is positive and they will be treated in institutional quarantine or home isolation facilities. For the other passengers on the flight, the government will follow established protocol, authorities said.
What is the facility at airports?
Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport has RT-PCR testing kiosks. The price of the test is set at Rs 1,400.
What are the rules for train passengers?
Passengers arriving in Maharashtra by trains originating from or stopping at Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Goa stations are required to carry negative RT-PCR test reports. Train passengers must have been tested four days prior to arrival.
Passengers without the negative RT-PCR test report would be tested for symptoms and body temperature at the getting off train stations. Passengers with no symptoms will be allowed to return home, but those with symptoms will undergo an antigen test. They will be allowed to go home if their antigen test is negative. Antigen tests take 30 minutes to generate the result.
Rules for people entering the state by road.
The land border district collectors have been tasked with the responsibility of making arrangements for antigen testing and screening of passengers entering the state by road. Passengers with symptoms will be separated and tested for antigens. Those who test negative will be able to travel further in the state.
Are there any exemptions?
The rule does not provide exemptions for passengers arriving in the state by road, plane or train. If a passenger entering the state by road tests positive, they will be sent to the Covid Care Centers. Those who do not want to take the test have the option of returning or being referred to Covid Care Centers.
Why was the rule introduced?
While new cases continue to decline or remain stagnant in the worst affected states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh have seen a significant increase in active cases. The largest increase in active cases in the past two weeks has occurred in Rajasthan, an increase of more than 5,600, followed by Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.
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On Monday, Maharashtra recorded 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.
Is the Maharashtra government planning to stop flights and trains from Delhi?
Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar had stated on Friday that the state was considering stopping flights and trains between Delhi and Mumbai and other parts of the state. Aid and Rehabilitation Minister Vijay Wadettiwar said on Monday that if necessary, in the next eight days, after a careful study of the number of cases, it will be decided whether a complete blockade or the imposition of some curbs or add new conditions. .
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.
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