Considering the latest surge in number of Covid cases, and keeping the health and safety of travellers in mind, the Indian government has implemented new rules and guidelines on domestic travel. There are also mandatory SOPs to be followed for international travel. Make sure you're aware of the new guidelines before you step out.
Guidelines for domestic travel:
1. People travelling in flights, trains and buses from the below listed 5 states will have to produce a negative test report before entering Delhi.
Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh..
2. Several states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh where there has been a recent surge in the number of coronavirus cases have made it mandatory for travelsers to bring a Covid-19 test upon their arrival.
3. Fresh restrictions have been imposed on inter-state travel, too.
State Guidelines :
Maharashtra
1. Travellers to Maharashtra from Gujarat, Delhi-NCR, Goa, Rajasthan and Kerala require to produce a negative RT-PCR test report upon their arrival to the state.
2. For those travelling by air, the test report should be within 72 hours prior to the flight and for rail passengers, the report should be within 96 hours before departure of their train.
3. Maharashtra has announced a night curfew of 8pm to 7 am.
4. All religious, social, cultural, and political gatherings have been banned, whereas weddings can have only a maximum of 50 people and funerals, a maximum of 20 people.
5. Pune will have a night curfew from 11 PM to 6 AM. Also, bars, hotels, theatres, and malls will remain shut from 10 PM to 6 AM, whereas gardens will be closed in the evening.
Karnataka
1. Travellers to Karnataka coming from Maharashtra or Kerala will need to mandatorily carry a negative Covid-19 test certificate
2. For air travellers, the test report has to be within 72 hours prior to the flight and for rail passengers, the report should be within 96 hours before their train.
Uttarakhand
1. Travellers to Uttarakhand from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh will also need to produce a negative Covid-19 report in order to enter the state.
2. Passengers will get tested at airports, railway stations and also at state borders. A Covid-19 test will be also be conducted (free of cost) for passengers arriving from Delhi.
Jammu Kashmir
1. Travellers from all states arriving in Srinagar will not be allowed to leave the airport unless they provide a negative RT-PCR test. Those with positive tests will be sent to isolation.
Himachal Pradesh
1. Only the district of Lahaul and Spiti requires travellers to carry a negative Covid-19 report.
2. Those travelling by cabs and private transport will have to provide an RT-PCR test conducted 72 hours to 96 hours before entering the district.
Ladakh
1. A negative Covid-19 report on arrival (not earlier than 72 hours prior to arrival) is required for all passengers arriving in Ladakh.
Gujarat
1. Gujarat has imposed a curfew from 10pm to 6am.
2. Although the travellers will have to provide an RT-PCR test conducted 72 hours to 96 hours before entering the district.
Madhya Pradesh
1. Madhya Pradesh has imposed a mandatory seven-day quarantine for all travellers coming from Maharashtra.
Punjab
1. Night curfew has been imposed in Patiala, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, Mohali, Nawanshahr, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, and Kapurthala. As per the reports, the said curfew will remain in place from 11 PM to 5 AM.
So if you are planning a trip any time soon, do keep these restrictions in mind. Please follow government guidelines so that the country can ride out the second wave as safely as possible.
Guidelines for international travel:
If you are travelling to Europe,UK,UAE, and other countries over the next week or so, here is something that will help you out plan the trip and be able to travel safer amid the Pandemic:
The guidelines will be a mandatory checklist while planning an international trip as the government’s new Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) is now applicable from 22nd Feb 2021.
As per the guidelines reported by the media, travellers from UK, UAE and Europe will have to show their travel history. Here's a brief summary of checklist provided by the government:
1. International travelers will have to submit self-declaration (SDF) for Covid on the online Air Suvidha portal before their scheduled travel.
2. Travellers will also have to upload a negative RT-PCR report on the online portal www.newdelhiairport.in with a declaration form stating the authenticity of the report.
3. The test should have been conducted within 72 hours before the journey and each passenger will also have to submit a declaration with respect to the authenticity of the report.
4. At the time of boarding the flight, only asymptomatic travelers will be allowed to board after the thermal screening.
5. All passengers should wear masks throughout the ride, follow social distance standards, and have downloaded the Aarogya Setu app.
6. Only asymptomatic patients are allowed to board the flight after the thermal screening.
7. Travelers arriving through seaports/land ports will also have to undergo the same protocol, except that facility for online registration is not available for such passengers currently, as per the civil aviation ministry guidelines.
8. Airlines should identify the international travelers arriving from/transiting through the United Kingdom, Brazil, and South Africa (during the past 14 days) and segregate them in-flight.
9. Tourists arriving from/transiting through flights originating in the United Kingdom, Europe, or the Middle East will be mandatorily subjected to self-paid confirmatory molecular tests on arrival at the Indian airports concerned (port of entry).
10. Travelers from Europe and the Middle East shall give samples at the designated area and exit the airport. If the test report is negative, they should be self-monitored for 14 days. If the test report is positive, they will undergo treatment as per standard health protocol.
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