Karnataka government exempts Maharashtra travellers from RT-PCR test rules

In a significant decision on Tuesday, the Karnataka government exempted visitors from the neighbouring state of Maharashtra from producing negative RT-PCR test reports while on short trips. The government, in its order, has said that those who are visiting for two days or less need not produce a negative COVID-19 test report upon arrival. 

The decision by the Health department has been taken in the wake of the decline in COVID-19 cases in both states, sources said.

However, the visitors must have been administered with both the doses of COVID-19 vaccination and should strictly adhere to COVID protocols. This will apply to travelers who arrive by bus, rail, and air for a couple of days in Karnataka.

The visitors should not have any symptoms and carry a self-declaration form with them. Thermal scanning on their arrival is a must as per the directives of the health department, they said. The decision was taken in the recently held State Advisory Committee Meeting on COVID-19.

Meanwhile, India, on Tuesday, reported 10,126 fresh coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, the lowest in 266 days, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. A total of 322 deaths have also been reported, which increased the overall fatality toll to 4,61,389.

The recovery of 11,982 patients in the last 24 hours has increased the cumulative tally of recovered patients to 3,37,75,086. Consequently, the country's recovery rate stands at 98.25 percent, the highest since March 2020. With the administration of 59,08,440 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, the country's COVID inoculation coverage has reached 109.08 crores as of Tuesday morning.