Covid -ve report must for passengers arriving in Chhattisgarh

New Delhi: The Chhattisgarh government on Saturday issued new travel guidelines for testing of travellers coming to the state as part of preventive measures to contain the spread of Covid-19.

As per the new guidelines, it will be mandatory for all passengers coming by air, rail or road in the state to furnish a Covid Negative RT-PCR Report (not earlier than 72 hours).

If the report is negative, they may be allowed to enter the state. Those travelers, who have a negative report and do not have symptoms of Covid-19, should be instructed to be home quarantine according to the SOP of the Health Department.

In this regard, instructions have been issued to all the Divisional Commissioners, Inspector General of Police, Collectors and Superintendents of Police of Chhattisgarh to ensure Covid Test Examination for travelers coming to Chhattisgarh.

Those passengers who have a negative test report but are showing symptoms of Covid-19, should be re-examined. If found positive in the re-test, treatment should be given to them according to the SOP of the Health Department. These travellers will get treatment and isolate/quarantine should be done as per medical advice.

Those travellers who do not have Covid negative test report, arrangements have been made for health check-ups, Covid test examination at testing kiosks set up at barrier/check posts on neighbouring borders, airports and railway stations. The passenger will have to bear the expense for the test. If found Covid positive, the person will be sent to Home isolation/Covid Care Center/Dedicated Covid Hospital immediately for treatment as per the requirement. Passengers from other states, if found Covid positive and have to be quarantined, will have to bear the expenses. Accordingly, to ensure arrangement for Covid testing, private path lab should be given permission for conducting Rapid Antigen testing as per the provisions and guidelines of Government of India and ICMR and at the rates fixed by the Government of Chhattisgarh.

Testing kiosks should be set up accordingly.

Those travellers, who have found with no symptoms of Covid after testing kiosk scanning, should be sent for institutionalized quarantine as per SOP of Health Department. For this, arrangements should be made by the Panchayat and Rural Development Department in the rural areas and Urban Administration Department in the urban areas to make quarantine (paid / free) to the passengers as per the guidelines issued earlier.

For the residents of Chhattisgarh, quarantine arrangement at airport, railway station and checkpoints of the road coming from the bordering state, to be made according to the pre-directive, ensuring Covid appropriate behavior, such as masking, social distancing, hand hygiene, etc.

Other instructions issued are: creating temporary holding area at barrier / check post at the border, for passengers to stay so that their health / physical testing can be done by following the social, physical distancing.