Key points:
- Passengers will have to bear the cost of the RT-PCR test.
- The government said passengers not having the negative test reports shall undergo the test at the concerned airports compulsorily or screened at the railway stations.
Domestic passengers arriving in Maharashtra by air, railway or roads from Delhi, Rajasthan, Goa and Gujarat will have to mandatorily carry RT-PCR negative test reports before entering the state, the Maharashtra government said on Monday.
Under its Mission Begin Again, the government said passengers not having the test reports shall undergo the test at the concerned airports compulsorily or screened at the railway stations. Passengers will have to bear the cost of the test, it said. RT-PCR sample collection should be done 96 hours before arrival, it said.
“The Airports Authority of India is requested to check for the report before allowing the passengers to board flights,” the government said.
The government’s decision comes a day after chief minister Uddhav Thackeray warned citizens of following safety measures, else a second or third covid-19 wave can trigger a “tsunami”.
“I am a bit angry with you all. I had already said after Diwali there will be overcrowding. Don’t think covid is over. I have seen many people not wearing masks. Don’t be so careless. Be in western countries, Delhi or Ahmedabad, this second and third wave is strong like a tsunami. Ahmedabad has even enforced night curfews,” Thackeray added.
On Sunday, Maharashtra reported 5,753 new cases, and 50 covid-19 deaths. The case fatality rate in the state stands at 2.62%, with a 92.75% recovery rate. Over the past fortnight, Maharashtra has seen considerable decline in covid cases. It has had a positivity rate of 8% during the past two weeks against the earlier 18%.
Delhi, however, has been struggling to contain the surge in coronavirus cases to breach the 529,000 mark, making it the sixth worst-hit state. Gujarat has imposed night curfew in a bid to control the spread of the pandemic.
India’s covid-19 case count went past 9.1 million with 44,059 new infections being reported, while recoveries were at 8,562,641 in the last 24 hours, according to data from the Union health ministry.
