State clarifies rules for flyers after Centre redflags Maharashtra’s 4 new Covid guidelines

PUNE: The Maharashtra government, on Wednesday, clarified that its rules related to RT-PCR tests and quarantines for flyers are only limited to those arriving from high-risk countries and not for domestic air travellers.

The clarification, seen as climb down by Maharashtra from its earlier position that mandated RT-PCR tests, as well as seven-day quarantine for domestic flyers, came hours after the Centre wrote a letter to state government.

Speaking in Jalna, Maharashtra health minister Rajesh Tope said, “The state has drafted its guidelines as per Centre’s notification. A fully-vaccinated local domestic passenger who has taken both doses of vaccine can travel without RT-PCR. However, those coming to India from high-risk countries and taing connecting flights to travel within Maharashtra will have to undergo a quarantine period and also conduct an RTPCR test.”

Earlier in the day, Union ministry of health and family welfare told the Maharashtra government to scrap additional conditions imposed by the state for international and domestic passengers and align the state’s guidelines to the ones issued by the central government, people aware of the matter said.

The Centre’s missive came hours after Maharashtra, in a late evening order on Tuesday, mandated Covid-19 testing for all international travellers at the Mumbai airport irrespective of their country of origin, 14-day home quarantine for all international passengers despite testing negative on arrival and for passengers taking connecting flights to first clear a Covid-19 test.

Besides, Tuesday’s order issued by Maharashtra chief secretary Debashish Chakrabarty also required domestic passengers to get themselves tested within 48 hours of flying to Maharashtra.

Lohegaon to follow centre’s guidelines

After Tope’s clarification, an official from Lohegaon airport in Pune said, guidelines issued earlier by centre will be followed.

“As of now we will continue with what guidelines centre government has given and flyers coming to Pune from other states will not be checked for RT-PCR negative report if they are fully vaccinated and completed the mandatory 14 days duration after vaccination. It is informed to us over the phone. For the next two days we will continue accordingly the way the central government has passed the order,” said the official at Lohegaon international airport.

These four conditions highlighted in its letter by Centre were more stringent than the guidelines notified by the Union health ministry for international travellers a few hours before Maharashtra issued its own version, leading to some confusion and outrage among flyers who called them “unjust”.

In a letter to Maharashtra additional chief secretary Pradeep Vyas, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan told the state government to align its guidelines to the ones issued by the Centre on these four points. HT reviewed the copy of the letter.

“This (Maharashtra government’s order) is in divergence with the SoPs (Standard operating procedure) and Guidelines issued by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of India. I would, therefore, urge you to align the orders issued by the state with the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. Of India, so that uniform implementation of the guidelines may be ensured across all States/UTs,” Rajesh Bhushan said. Bhushan also asked Maharashtra to give “wide publicity” to the modified orders, once they are issued “to obviate any inconvenience to travellers”.

Flyers not happy

Many reacted sharply to state guidelines saying they are unjust. Pune resident Ajit Thakhalkar, who is currently in Jammu and Kashmir and is scheduled to fly back to the city on December 3, said the Maharashtra government’s new rules have created problems for him.

Thakhalkar said he was in a remote area of Jammu and Kashmir which did not have a Covid-19 testing facility. “How am I supposed to get the test done before coming to Pune,” he asked, saying his only option at the moment was to try getting a test done at Srinagar airport but wondered when the report would come in. He planned to fly to Delhi and take a connecting flight to Pune.

Another passenger who was scheduled to travel from Jaipur to Pune on Wednesday said the government should have given them 4-5 days notice before coming up with such a rule. “Such sudden changes in travel requirements create panic,” he said, pointing that it will take him at least a day to get the report.

Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture president Sudhir Mehta said they were in favour of reasonable restrictions but “reintroduction of RT-PCR Covid tests for domestic travel as done in Maharashtra serves little purpose for those already vaccinated.

This needs a review, he said, wondering why it was safe for a passenger flying from Nagpur to Pune, but not from Delhi.

As per the Centre’s guidelines, international passengers arriving from At-Risk countries were asked to remain under home quarantine for seven days and get tested again on the eighth day. While travellers coming from countries other than the flagged countries were allowed to leave the airport and were asked to “self-monitor” their health for 14 days from the arrival.