According to sources, Delhi will make it necessary to bring a negative Covid test report from Friday for all those coming from those states with a spike in coronavirus reports in 5 states.
From Saturday to March 15, individuals traveling to Delhi from Kerala, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, and Madhya Pradesh, on flights, trains, or buses will have to show a negative RT-PCR exam. Those that entered Delhi by road were excluded.
Later today, formal orders will be released.
Decision By Delhi and Other State Governments:
Sources claim the decision was taken by the Delhi government as 86 percent of the total new virus cases have arisen from these states over the last week.
The rule change will be in effect from midnight on Friday till 12 noon on March 15, reports said.
After a drastic surge in new cases in recent days, Maharashtra and Kerala together account for 75 percent of the currently active cases of the country.
The greatest proportion of 5,210 new cases was registered by Maharashtra on Tuesday, followed by Kerala (2,212) and Tamil Nadu (449). Maharashtra confirmed 18 deaths, followed by Kerala with 16 and Punjab with 15, the Ministry of Health stated.
Similar rules on citizens traveling from these places have been declared by the governments of Karnataka, Uttarakhand, and Tamil Nadu.
Reports have been on the rise in the Maharashtra regions of Mumbai and in Nagpur, Amravati, Nashik, Akola, and Yavatmal.
Officials in these regions will be required to check Covid’s negative test results up to 72 hours prior to departure before enabling passengers to depart for Delhi.
In addition to implementing new local lockdowns or curbs in districts like Pune and Amravati, Maharashtra has declared a state-wide ban on social, political, and religious assemblies.
The weekly positive rate and the number of cases have also increased in Punjab.
The rise has ignited concerns of a second phase in the five states, with the Centre guiding them to prioritize strict monitoring, containment, and RT-PCR-testing.
The Union Ministry of Health also wrote to all States and Union Territories about the need to substantially increase the speed of vaccination.