Maharashtra amends health rules, drops RT-PCR test for vaccinated arrivals

Institutional quarantine only for passengers from three African countries

Maharashtra government has dropped the requirement of a reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for fully vaccinated domestic air travellers in its new guidelines issued on Thursday.

The state has also decided to restrict the mandatory seven-day institutional quarantine for passengers from three countries — Botswana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

The change in guidelines comes close on the heels of the Union health ministry’s nudge asking the state to align its policies with those of the Centre’s. Other issues like non-availability of enough hotel rooms for quarantining passengers from 11 “at-risk” countries/regions, including those from Europe, may have also