New Guidelines Issued by Maharashtra, Goa

Amid the looming Omicron threat, India is constantly updating and revising the travel guidelines for both international and domestic passengers. The Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Goa state governments have recently updated their policies. Take a look:

Get free cancellations on all domestic flight booking with ixigo assured:

At-risk countries: All countries in Europe (including the UK), South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel.

For Maharashtra

For international passengers: Passengers arriving from countries declared at-risk by the Indian Government will be subjected to a seven-day mandatory institutional quarantine, during which they will be tested on days two, four, and seven.

If found positive, the person will be shifted to a hospital facility. And in case of negative results, they will have to quarantine at home for the next seven days.

Passengers from countries except the at-risk counties will have to undergo an RT-PCR test on arrival.

If found positive, they will be shifted to a hospital facility and if negative, they will have to undergo home quarantine for 14 days.

International passengers having connecting flights will have to undergo an RT-PCR test on their first arrival in Maharashtra. Only after a negative test will they be allowed to board the next flight.

For domestic passengers: Passengers travelling within the state will either have to be fully vaccinated or carry a negative RT-PCR test report issued within 48 hours of the time of travel.

To visit Maharashtra from other states, one needs to carry an RT-PCR negative report of a test done within 48 hours of arrival. This is irrespective of the vaccination status.

Read the full order here:

RT- PCR tests even if you’re vaccinated!! This is the latest circular by @CMOMaharashtra that says Passengers from other states will need compulsory RT-PCR negative within 48 hours of travel. #BackTo2020 #OmicronVariant pic.twitter.com/JyI19i6Qra

— Ruchi Bhatia (@29_ruchibhatia) November 30, 2021

For Karnataka

For international passengers: Passengers arriving from the 12 at-risk countries will have to undergo a mandatory RT-PCR test at the airport. They will only be allowed to leave the airport once the report comes out to be negative. The expected waiting time is a minimum of 5-6 hours for the test results.

Pre-register and pay for the test here.

If tested positive, samples will be sent for genomic testing and the patient will be shifted to a separate isolation facility for treatment as per standard protocol.

If tested negative, the person will have to follow a seven-day home quarantine, get a retest on the eighth day and continue to self-monitor for the next seven days.

Out of the travellers from countries other than the countries at-risk, 2% will be subjected to random testing. Everyone will be allowed to leave the airport and will have to self-monitor their health for the next 14 days.

Read the order here:

As per new #NewTravelGuidelines effective from December 1, 2021, all international passengers arriving from at-risk countries are required to mandatorily undergo #COVID19 testing and wait for results at #BLRAirport.
Visit https://t.co/zYuNJObSLB for more information.@MoCA_GoI pic.twitter.com/yyNMSWk0wW

— BLR Airport (@BLRAirport) November 30, 2021

For domestic passengers: People travelling from Kerala and Maharashtra will have to carry a negative RT-PCR report with the test done within 72 hours of arrival.

For Goa

For international passengers: Goa has made RT-PCR testing mandatory for all international passengers.

All travellers entering the state from the 12 at-risk countries will be subject to the Government of India’s directives in this regard. The revised guidelines will come into effect from today, that is, 1st December, 2021.

Learn about the full order here:

Chaired High Level Meeting to review the protocols in view of #OmicronVariant of #COVID19. All international passengers will be tested for COVID19. The State Government will follow Government of India guidelines for travellers from 12 countries at-risk. pic.twitter.com/uuMJU3M7Pp

— Dr. Pramod Sawant (@DrPramodPSawant) November 30, 2021

For domestic passengers: The guidelines for travellers from the Indian states remain the same as of now. They either have to carry a vaccination certificate (15 days should have passed since the second dose) or a negative RT-PCR test report issued within 72 hours of arrival.

Travellers from Kerala will have to carry a negative RT-PCR test report, irrespective of their vaccination status.

Stay tuned with us for the latest travel updates!