Mumbai: Fully vaccinated domestic passengers no longer need to carry negative RT-PCR report

In a good news for passengers while arriving in Mumbai, who have taken both doses of COVID-19 vaccine will no longer need to carry negative RT-PCR test reports, the government said on Tuesday.

The Maharashtra government amid the rising covid case during the second wave had in May imposed restrictions asking flyers to carry a report of negative RT-PCR test conducted 48 hours prior to their journey.

However, now that the covid cases is showing a declining trend, Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai Iqbal Singh Chahal on Tuesday issued a notification exempting fully vaccinated people to enter the city through the Mumbai airport.

In a letter to Maharashtra chief secretary, Mr Chahal said: "There are many passengers who are taking up journey to Delhi or other business places in the morning and they are returning back on the same day in the evening or next day morning, in such case conducting the RT-PCR test and getting the report becomes impossible."

Many fully vaccinated people have been requesting to waive off the condition of carrying the negative Covid report.

Maharashtra reported 7,243 new coronavirus cases and 196 fatalities on Tuesday,taking the tally of infections to 61,72,645 and death toll to 1,26,220, a health department official said. 

Experts have repeatedly warned against complacency to prevent a third wave of the coronavirus. While most parts of the country have seen a steady decline in the COVID-19 numbers, the northeast region has been a cause of concern with the number of cases either rising or not falling in line with the nationwide trend, experts have noted.