Maharashtra govt defers its decision of making RT-PCR must for domestic travellers

Maharashtra government has decided to defer its earlier COVID-19 guidelines that ordered a mandatory RT-PCR test for domestic passengers entering the state regardless of their vaccination status, the state's health minister Rajesh Tope said on Wednesday.

In an interview with India Today TV, Tope said,"We have deferred it at present and we will be amending and fall in line with whatever the other states are...or we will fall in line as per the Government of India orders."

Tope also mentioned that passengers travelling from Delhi and other states may face hardship due to the current Covid-19 rules and "it is a point that needs to be amended."

Currently, the state has made RT-PCR mandatory irrespective of vaccination status for travellers from other states. Further, the new rules also make institutional quarantine mandatory for passengers coming to the state from countries "at-risk".

The order reads, "Domestic travellers from the same state will either have to be fully vaccinated or compulsorily carry an RT-PCR test within 48 hours of the time of arrival. In case of passengers from other states, negative RT-PCR test within 48 hours of arrival will be compulsory without exceptions."

Earlier today, the Union Health Ministry had written to the Maharashtra government against the imposition of additional COVID-19 restrictions on travellers entering the state.

In a letter addressed to Maharashtra Additional Chief Secretary, Pradeep Kumar Vyas – who is also the principal secretary of the state public health department – Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan had asked the state to "align orders issued by Maharashtra for international arrivals at Mumbai airport with the guidelines issued by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare to ensure uniform implementation of guidelines across all States/UTs."

Bhushan also stated that the order issued by the Maharashtra government is in divergence with the COVID-19 SoPs and guidelines issued by Union Health Ministry for international passengers.

'''I would also advise that such modified orders of the state government are given wide publicity to obviate any inconvenience to travellers,'' he said in the letter addressed to Pradeep Kumar Vyas of the state's Department of Health & Family Welfare.