The new rule will apply only to those who are taking flights, trains or buses, and not to those who are driving in their own vehicle. A negative report on the RT-PCR test is likely to be made mandatory to enter Delhi for those taking flights, trains or buses from states with a high Covid case load, sources in the Delhi government said Wednesday.
The five states to be included in the new norm are Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, sources said.
“Delhi has managed to bring the spread of infection under control to a large degree with the positivity rate remaining under 0.5% for many days. But cases in other states are increasing and we have to be vigilant. This was also discussed in the DDMA meeting held on Monday,” a government official said.
The new rule will apply only to those who are taking flights, trains or buses, and not to those who are driving in their own vehicle. According to sources, the rule is likely to come into force over the weekend and be in force till March 15.
This will be the first time that Delhi, which was a hotspot for many months, will require a negative RT-PCR test report for those entering the city. Earlier, the city had strict institutional and home quarantine norms. These, too, were relaxed in late November. Norms for those flying in from the UK, South Africa and the Middle East, however, are still in place, and they have to upload a negative test report 72 hours before their flight. They also need to get tested once they land in Delhi.
Previously, many states had made it mandatory for people travelling from Delhi to produce a negative Covid test report before they could enter the state. Even within NCR, strict travel norms were in place till mid-2020.
The capital, which has been reporting an average of 150 cases a day, saw 200 cases on Wednesday. Two casualties were reported . The city has 1,137 active cases at present and the case fatality ratio stands at 1.71%.