Mumbai: Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal wrote to the chief secretary of Maharashtra on Tuesday, seeking exemption from the RT-PCR test for fully vaccinated domestic passengers. The exemption is being sought in light of the fact that it was not possible for passengers taking flights to Delhi or other business destinations in the morning and returning on the same day to get RT-PCR tests done.
“In view of the above, the domestic passengers who are fully vaccinated may be exempted from carrying negative RT-PCR test report while arriving in the city of Mumbai,” Chahal wrote in his letter to the chief secretary.
On May 12, 2021, the Maharashtra government had imposed the requirement of a negative RT-PCR test report issued within 48 hours of the beginning of the journey for all those entering the state.
Following this, the BMC too had issued similar directives for domestic arrivals to Mumbai. These restrictions were primarily meant for travellers from Gujarat, Delhi, Rajasthan and Kerala. With the rise in the number of cases during the second wave, this stipulation of a negative RT-PCR test report was extended to all domestic passengers arriving in Mumbai.
“With the vaccination drive gathering pace across the nation and several citizens who have already taken two doses of the Covid-19 vaccines, the fully vaccinated beneficiaries have been demanding relaxation in the condition of carrying negative RT-PCR reports,” Chahal said.
