Amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in Mumbai and Bengaluru, in a bid to avoid the spread of virus the Assam state government has made it compulsory for travellers to provide negative RT-PCR report those coming from Mumbai and Bengaluru. The coronavirus situation has worsened in the capital cities of Maharashtra and Karnataka.
"All air travellers from Mumbai and Bengaluru arriving at any airport in Assam need to carry a negative RT-PCR report of test conducted within 72 hours of arrival," news agency ANI reported quoting from an order of Assam government. The new rule will come into effect from April 9.
Both Maharashtra and Karnataka are among the states which have been cited as major hotspots by the Centre over rise in Covid-19 cases. Maharashtra is the worst hit, recording 49,447 new cases of the infection on Saturday.
Maharashtra, Karnataka and six other states contribute to more than 80 per cent of daily Covid-19 cases, the ministry reported. And together with Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Kerala, the 12 states displaying an upward rise in the daily new cases, the health ministry reported.
Amid a massive spike in cases, PM Narendra Modi too chaired a meeting with high level officials while Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray also held a cabinet meeting on the Covid-19 situation in the state and is expected to announce more stringent curbs to check the spread of the disease.
India saw 93,249 new coronavirus infections being reported in a span of 24 hours, the highest single day rise so far this year, taking the nationwide Covid-19 tally of cases to 1,24,85,509.
The daily Covid-19 cases in Assam had fizzled down to single digits last month but in recent days the figure is gradually witnessing an upward trend.
