No Covid test report check for domestic passengers arriving at Pune airport: Ajit Pawar

Domestic travellers arriving at Pune airport can now breathe a sigh of relief, as deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, on Saturday announced that no Covid test report will be checked for passengers who arrive in Pune.

“A lot of time is wasted in tests when a passenger is travelling domestically. However, the passenger needs to be fully vaccinated before boarding a flight. A negative Covid report is also checked before going somewhere, and if that person returns, then there is no point in keeping him waiting again for a negative test. Many people have complained that they had to wait for 2-3 hours to get reports verified. So, in Pune, we have removed this restriction, provided that the passenger is fully vaccinated and follows all Covid protocol,” said Pawar while addressing press conference after conducting a Covid review meeting on Saturday in Pune.

Pawar clarified that this exemption from Covid test is only meant for domestic flights. “However, for international flights, the rules set by the union government for the passengers will be followed,” said Pawar.

Earlier, on November 24, this issue was raised by Girish Bapat, Member of Parliament, in a meeting with Airport Advisory Committee (AAC) chaired by him. He had pointed out how the dual check of vaccination certificate and RT-PCR report on arrival is causing inconvenience to the passengers.

With a new Covid variant on the rise, Pawar said that the state and district administration will continue follow the guidelines issued by the union government to contain the spread of the virus.