What Are The New Travel Guidelines Imposed By States Amid Dip In Covid Cases?

India's daily Covid-19 tally continues to hover above 2.5 lakh mark. However, a downward trend was witnessed from over 3.33 lakh cases recorded on January 22. The cities like Delhi and Mumbai have been reporting fewer number of fresh cases as compared to the peak in second week of January. In line with the gradual drop in cases, states have revised their guidelines. Here's a look at the updates.

Delhi

The weekend curfew from Friday 10 pm to Monday 5am, will remain.

Night curfew from 10 pm to 5 am will also remain in place.

Private offices can now call their staff back at 50 per cent attendance.

Odd-even scheme for shops has been discontinued.

Travel: No mandatory tests are required. Random sample collection will be done for those arriving from states with high case load at the airport.

Maharashtra

Maharashtra has resumed offline classes for students of classes 1 to 12. While a consent from parents is requires, they have also urged to not send their children to school if they are unwell.

Travel: Double vaccination certificate or a negative RT PCR report conducted no more than 72 hours in advance, is mandatory for domestic travellers.

Karnataka

The weekend curfew announced earlier with the rise in Omicron cases has been withdrawn.

The night curfew, 10 pm to 5 am, remains in place across the state.

In-person classes for students of 1 to 9 will remain shut.

Classes for students of 10, 11 and 12, can be carried out in-person.

Travel: Passengers from Maharashtra and Kerala need to carry a negative RT PCR report.

Uttar Pradesh

Schools will remain closed till February 15th; online classes will continue.

Travel: No new regulations have been announced.

Gujarat

At the beginning of the third wave, a curfew in eight major cities in Gujarat, between 10 pm and 6 am was announced. Seventeen more towns with high positivity rate have been added to the list for a night curfew until January 29. The timings (10 pm to 6 am) remain unchanged. The towns include Godhra, Navsari, Bharuch, Wankaner, Morbi, Surendranagar, and more.

There has been a relaxation in regulations for home delivery services. They can now operate 24 hours.

Restaurants are permitted to operate with 75 per cent capacity until 10 pm. Shopping complexes, malls, salons, spas, and other establishments will also remain open till 10 pm.

Political and religious gatherings can have a maximum of 150 people in attendance in an open space at no more than 50 per cent capacity in enclosed spaces.

Buses will operate through the day and night, at 75 per cent capacity.

Travel: No new regulations have been announced.

Assam

The chief minister of the state announced that curfew restrictions will be relaxed from 10 pm to 11 pm starting February 1 and schools will be allowed to open. No formal circular has been issued yet.

Travel: No official change in regulations yet.

Bihar

Existing Covid guidelines have been extended till February 6th.

Night curfew will continue.

Schools up to 8th standard will remain closed.

Restaurants and businesses can function till 8 pm.

Telangana

Existing restrictions have been extended until January 31st.

Travel: No mandatory testing.

Kerala

The state has seen a spike in Covid cases and imposed fresh curbs. Restrictions have been announced at district level based on case density and divided into groups A, B, and C.

Only essential services will be allowed to function on Sunday, January 30th.

No gatherings will take place at beaches, malls, and tourist spots.

Social and religious functions, weddings, and funerals, will be allowed with an attendance of 50 people in group A. In group B and C, weddings and funerals will allow only 20 people. Religious functions can be conducted online only.

Classes, except 10 and 12, final year undergraduate and postgraduate, will be conducted online only.

Travel: Passengers from other states need to carry a negative RT PCR test report.

Haryana

Existing Covid curbs have been extended till February 10th.

Malls and markets can remain open till 7 pm (from the earlier 6 pm).

Gyms and spas are now allowed to open at 50 per cent capacity.

Liquor stores can remain open till 10 pm.

Travel: No mandatory testing. Only those travelling from Chandigarh will have to fill a self-declaration form.

Jammu and Kashmir

With a sudden spike in cases, the state has announced weekend restrictions on all non-essential activity from Friday 2 pm to Monday 6 am.

Travel: Passengers need to carry an RT-PCR negative report issued no more than 72 hours before arrival. Those not carrying a report will need to test on arrival and placed in institutional quarantine until the results arrive.