Passengers entering Tamil Nadu from other States and countries by air, rail, road and sea will have to undergo mandatory screening for COVID-19 and 14 days’ quarantine upon arrival, according to guidelines issued by the State government on Monday.
Domestic passengers will have to undergo thermal screening and home quarantine for 14 days. If they develop a fever, cough or breathlessness during this period, they will have to visit a health facility.
Only symptomatic persons will be subjected to testing and if they test positive, they will be taken to a hospital for isolation. If they test negative but have mild symptoms, they will have to undergo home quarantine, the guidelines said.
If a passenger tests negative but is symptomatic, he/she will be taken to a hospital for isolation, and the case will be decided based on medical opinion.
However, business travellers visiting Tamil Nadu for a short stay of up to 72 hours are exempted from home quarantine norms.
International passengers
“All passengers entering Tamil Nadu from other countries should have a negative RT-PCR test report, issued not more than 96 hours prior to their arrival in the State. Those who have RT-PCR negative certificates and are asymptomatic will be allowed to go home and remain in quarantine for 14 days,” the guidelines said.
As a transitional arrangement, passengers arriving on Vande Bharat flights alone will be provided RT-PCR tests at the airport for a week. Asymptomatic passengers will be sent for home quarantine for 14 days. Where the test results return positive, they will be asked to report to a medical facility for treatment.
The guidelines also state that home quarantine will be based on cases being classified as very mild, mild and pre-symptomatic by a medical officer, and such persons should have self-isolation facilities at home and a caregiver available 24x7.
All those travelling to the State are mandated to apply for an auto-generated e-pass at https://tnepass.tnega.or g/