Planning a New Years Trip in India Take Note of These Travel Restrictions

The number of COVID-19 cases in India is, once again, exponentially rising, with the Omicron variant emerging as the single greatest threat. A total of 781 cases have been detected in the country at the time of this writing (the number is expected to rise further in the coming days), but keeping in mind the highly contagious nature of this variant, states and cities have imposed a number of stringent restrictions that may affect movement within and across regions.

Here&rsquos a brief look at some of them

1. Night curfews have been imposed, and public gatherings banned or restricted, in several states, affecting New Year festivities and celebrations.

• A curfew from 11pm to 5am has been imposed in Delhi, after the coronavirus positivity rate shot up to 0.68%.

• In Karnataka, the same is being observed from 10pm to 5am for 10 days, effective from December 28, 2021.

• Uttar Pradesh too has a 11pm-to-5am curfew in place. Furthermore, the maximum number of people attending an event has been reduced to 200.

• In Haryana, a night-time curfew, from 11pm to 5am, is being observed. Additionally, public gatherings are being capped at 200 participants.

• Gujarat has implemented a curfew from December 25, 2021. Eight cities&mdashSurat, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Gandhinagar and Bhavnagar&mdashwill now see an additional two hours of restrictions, from 11pm to 5am instead of the usual 1am-to-5am one.

• Assam and Madhya Pradesh have adopted a wait-and-see approach, with a 11pm-to-5am and a 1130pm-to-6am curfew in force, respectively.

• Maharashtra has again emerged as a hotbed of new COVID-19 cases, with the state health minister Rajesh Tope admitting that the positivity rate in Mumbai has risen up to 4%. The state&rsquos authorities have, therefore, imposed a curfew from 9pm to 6am, banning any and all gatherings of more than five people during that duration.

2. The Union and state governments and ministries have also modified travel rules substantially.

• Delhi issued a yellow alert, which has led to schools and theatres being shut down. Metros and buses are operating at 50% capacities with no standing passengers allowed. Those arriving by air to Delhi from other Indian states, especially those with a higher number of cases, will be subjected to random sample collection. The fliers will be allowed to leave only after the samples have been collected. In case of a COVID-positive report, the passenger will have to quarantine at home or at a COVID care centre for 10 days. International passengers will have to upload a self-declaration form on the online Air Suvidha portal as well as a negative RT-PCR report done not more than 72 hours before the scheduled journey. Those arriving from at-risk countries will have to submit samples. If tested negative, the passengers will undergo a mandatory 7-day quarantine, following which there will be an RT-PCR test again on the eight day. If the results turn out to be negative again, they will need to self-monitor for another seven days. Those arriving from low-COVID-risk countries, however, can leave the airport and self-monitor their health for 14 days. Under the yellow alert, a number of hotels are being turned into quarantine zones.

• The 7-day mandatory institutional quarantine for international passengers has also been enforced in Maharashtra, following which a RT-PCR test will be carried out. If the result is negative the second time as well, the passengers will self-monitor for a further seven days. For those heading to cities other than Mumbai, transportation will be provided, but public transport is not to be availed.Domestic travellers need to either be fully vaccinated or furnish a negative RT-PCR report (done not more than 72 hours before the journey) upon arrival. In Mumbai, travellers from Dubai in particular will have to undergo the 7-day quarantine, and a further seven days of self-isolation should the RT-PCR report after the quarantine period turn out to be negative.

• In West Bengal, domestic fliers need to furnish a negative RT-PCR report (conducted not more than 72 hours before the journey) on arrival. International tourists will all have to undergo the mandatory 7-day quarantine period.

• Karnataka has made it mandatory for international passengers to undergo RT-PCR tests upon arrival and then quarantine at home for seven days.

NOTE Most of India&rsquos major states and cities have set up hospitals as well as COVID-19 care, treatment and quarantine centres in close proximity to airports for the sake of passengers who may test positive for the virus.