• Source:JND
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New Delhi | Jagran News Desk: As the concerns over the Omicron, the new variant of COVID-19 first found in South Africa, grips the country, several states have started to announce restrictions for international passengers arriving at the airports. In line with that, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday issued a fresh set of guidelines for the people arriving from abroad.

Now, a day after the Maharashtra government's new guidelines mandating seven-day institutional quarantine and RT-PCR Tests for all travellers arriving in the state, the Centre on Wednesday opposed the order and asked the state government to align the orders with the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

In a letter to the Additional Chief Secretary of Maharashtra government, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, "This is in divergence with the SoPs and the guidelines issued by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of lndia".

The Maharashtra government has made it mandatory for intra-state travellers to either be fully vaccinated or hold valid RT-PCR tests and for inter-state travellers to produce RT-PCR tests (48 hours), without exception. The 14-day home quarantine for all international passengers has been made mandatory despite being tested RT-PCR negative upon arrival.

For international passengers with connecting flights to any other airport in India, an RT-PCR test at the first arrival airport in Maharashtra will be mandatory. They will be allowed to board the connecting flight only if the test result is negative, as per the order.

Health Secretary, in the letter, further said, "This is in divergence with the SoPs & guidelines issued by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of lndia. I would, therefore, urge you to align the orders issued by the state with the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, so that uniform implementation of the guidelines may be ensured across all states and UTs".

"I would also advise that such modified orders of the State Government are given wide publicity to obviate any inconvenience to travellers," the letter read.

The government had on Tuesday issued revised guidelines for international travellers coming to India in the wake of Covid variant Omicron. Under the issued guidelines by the government, international travellers coming from affected countries will need a mandatory negative report of the RT-PCR test conducted on arrival in India for leaving the airport. Also, if they fail to provide the negative report, the government has allotted identified quarantine centres for them to self-isolate them.

 

(With Agencies Inputs)