Health authorities and government bodies are urging passengers to carefully check their destination states’ COVID-19 travel guidelines before planning a trip. This comes after news that many travellers were arriving without test results into states that specifically require covid-negative reports at entry points.
The confusion has a few possible reasons: difficulty in keeping track of new guidelines, a lack of timely updates on the IRCTC’s state advisories website (which is checked often before train bookings), and complacency setting in after India’s vaccine program rolled out.
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Search Trains4 steps to reduce confusion before travel
Before making any air, rail or bus bookings, you can gain more information about your journey using the following steps:
- Check your destination state’s travel guidelines based on your mode of travel. Some states want tests only for air travel, while others need it at all entry points.
- Verify if the state requires an e-pass, an app download, a health registration or any filled forms before your arrival.
- Call the state’s COVID-19 control room (helpline numbers are on government websites) and specifically ask about requirements for travel from your origin state. Make sure to ask about any exemptions, and if the rules differ for children.
- Note curfew timings (if any) so that you can plan your itinerary accordingly
Latest COVID-19 travel rules
Most recently, Rajasthan has changed its COVID-19 travel guidelines. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot confirmed that an RT-PCR negative report not older than 72 hours is required for travellers from all states, starting from March 25, 2021. A night curfew has also been issued for Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Ajmer, Bhilwara, Kota, Sagwara and Kushalgarh from 11 pm to 5 am until further notice.
Other states and union territories which want all arrivals to have a covid-negative test report are Meghalaya, Ladakh, Assam, Mizoram, Tripura and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Uttar Pradesh, which experiences a high rush in train and air travel during Holi, requires an RT-PCR negative report (done within 72 hours) from an ICMR-recognised lab if you are arriving from Maharashtra or Kerala, according to the state’s COVID-19 helpline.
Madhya Pradesh has also tightened its travel rules for arrivals from Maharashtra. Those landing at Indore Airport must carry a negative RT-PCR test report (done within 48 hours of departure) while those arriving at Bhopal Airport need one delivered within 72 hours of arrival. Both cities require mandatory home quarantine for air passengers from Maharashtra.
Tamil Nadu had issued specific rules for incoming rail passengers early on, which you can read here, while Surat in Gujarat has recently come out with strict guidelines for all out-of-state visitors—a mandatory one-week home quarantine, and getting tested if they show any symptoms of the coronavirus. Those who don’t comply can be charged under Section 188 of the IPC (‘Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant’). A night curfew is also in place for Surat, Rajkot, Vadodara, and Rajkot till March 31.
Maharashtra, which has the highest number of active COVID-19 cases, released detailed rules for travellers arriving from Delhi NCR, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Kerala and Goa, which you can see here.
Found this story useful? Stay tuned to ixigo for more COVID-19 travel updates.
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