In a recent development, all travellers to Ladakh will now undergo RATs (Rapid Antigen Tests) in addition to having a negative RT-PCR report.
The Administration of the Union Territory of Ladakh issued a circular, which was shared by Ladakh Tourism on its Twitter handle. The change in guidelines isn't expected to cause any inconvenience to passengers. Those travelling by road or via air must, in addition to a negative COVID-19 test report, undergo rapid antigen testing on arrival in the Union Territory.
After arrival, visitors will be placed in a nearby quarantine centre and allowed to pass only after the test report is found negative. Those found positive will be isolated at the quarantine centre. For further information, check here.
Recently, the Indian Council of Medical Research gave the go-ahead for home testing for COVID-19 using RAT kits. Rapid antigen testing only requires nasal swabs and can be carried out by following the instructions on the package with the help of a mobile phone application.
The total active cases in Ladakh, as of May 21, stands at 1,599. A total of 17,146 people have been so far affected by COVID-19 in the Union Territory, out of which 173 have died. Calls for total lockdown in Ladakh have intensified after 5 deaths were recently recorded on a single day (May 19).