TRAVELLERS FROM 5 STATES NEED NEGATIVE COVID-19 REPORT TO ENTER DELHI

NEW DELHI: People arriving in Delhi from five states that have reported a surge in daily Covid-19 infections may be asked to provide a negative RT-PCR test reports from Saturday, senior government officials privy to developments said.

The issue was taken up in a Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) meeting on Monday in the wake of steady rise in cases in Maharashtra, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Chhattisgarh, and greater curbs and checks were discussed, the people cited above added. An official order, however, was not issued till Wednesday night.

“Any passenger arriving in Delhi via private or state-run buses, flights or trains may have to show a negative RT-PCR test report on their arrival in the Capital. The test report will have to be conducted not before 72 hours from the time of the person’s arrival in Delhi,” a government official said.

It was discussed that the directions may come into force “after midnight on February 26 and stay in operation till March 15”, the official added.

Airport and railway officials on Wednesday said they were yet to be informed about any rule.

Like all the Covid-19 hit states, Delhi too had travel restrictions in place. While domestic flight operations resumed in Delhi from May 25 after the nation-wide lockdown was announced on March 25, the Delhi government resumed its inter-state bus operations as late as November 3, 2020. For international flights, all passengers from the UK, Brazil, South Africa, all European countries and the Middle East arriving at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport compulsorily have to undergo an RT-PCR test. However, they need not mandatorily undergo institutional quarantine.