Travel in COVID-19 pandemic | No negative RT-PCR test report needed for these states

It is to be noted that some of these states may still require travellers to have a valid COVID-19 e-pass.

Moneycontrol News
June 15, 2021 / 11:07 AM IST

Passengers wearing protective face masks leave upon arrival at Mumbai airport (Representative image: Reuters/Francis Mascarenhas)


With a steady fall in daily COVID-19 cases being reported across the country, some states have started easing restrictions for inter-state travel.

Here is a quick look at states that currently do not require a negative RT-PCR test result for travellers:

Delhi: Air travellers from Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh no longer need to carry a negative RT-PCR test report when they land at the Delhi airport.

Himachal Pradesh: The state government recently announced that a negative RT-PCR test result was no longer mandatory to enter Himachal. This, in fact, led to heavy vehicle traffic on roads connecting New Delhi and Himachal Pradesh on June 14.

Mixed rules in some other states

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

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How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

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Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Odisha and the Union Territory of Chandigarh have allowed vaccinated travellers to enter without a negative RT-PCR test result.

But only travellers who have been fully vaccinated and have had 28 days elapse from the time of administration of the second dose would be exempt from COVID-19 tests in Rajasthan, CNBC-TV18 reported.

Punjab and the UT of Chandigarh are allowing travellers to enter without an RT-PCR test if they have had one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and two weeks have elapsed since then.

In Meghalaya, visitors – except those from Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Karnataka and Kerala – will need to show a full vaccination certificate upon arrival to get an exemption from a COVID-19 test.

Some of the other states are also expected to relax their guidelines for entry.

The Centre also indicated earlier that it might allow air travellers to move interstate without a negative RT-PCR certificate. However, a formal announcement is awaited.

However, it is to be noted that some of these states may still require travellers to have a valid COVID e-pass.

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first published: Jun 15, 2021 11:07 am