Telangana govt issues guidelines for international arrivals

As per the latest guidelines issued by the Telangana government, asymptomatic international passengers who have compelling reasons, including pregnancy and death in the family, maybe exempted from institutional quarantine. According to the SOP, guidelines on health protocols and quarantine for international arrivals, as issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), from time to time will be observed, it said.

Hyderabad:Asymptomatic international passengers who have compelling reasons, including pregnancy and death in family, may be exempted from institutional quarantine as per the latest guidelines issued by the Telangana government.

Those passengers who produce negative RT-PCR test report on arrival with the test conducted within 96 hours prior to departure may also be exempted from institutional quarantine,according to the guidelines.

The guidelines were issued in a Government Order (GO) on August 26.

The GO said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued standard operating protocol (SOP) (on August 22) for travel on Vande Bharat and Air Transport Bubble flights.

According to the SOP, guidelines on health protocols and quarantine for international arrivals, as issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), from time to time will be observed, it said.

Under the MoHFW guidelines for international arrivals in the country (issued on August 2), states can develop their own protocol with regard to quarantine and isolation as per their assessment post arrival of passengers in the state concerned.

According to the GO, the guidelines with regard to quarantine and isolation arrangements for international arrivals in the state are issued after examining the matter.

The guidelines state that thermal screening will be carried out for all passengers upon disembarkation and those who are found symptomatic shall be isolated and taken to medical facilities as per health protocol.

The asymptomatic passengers shall be sent in paid institutional quarantine for a period of seven days followed by seven days of home isolation.

The passengers may be exempted from the requirement of institutional quarantine, if they have compelling reasons/ cases of human distress such as pregnancy, death in family, serious illness, and also parents with children of 10 years of age or below, and permitted for 14 days of home quarantine.

Those passengers who produce negative RT-PCR test report on arrival with the test conducted within 96 hours prior to departure may also be exempted.

Such passengers shall be required to undertake 14 days of home quarantine, it said.

Passengers travelling for business reasons and having negative RT-PCR test conducted within 96 hours prior to departure shall be exempted from the requirement of home/institutional quarantine.

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However, the passengers should return within four days of arrival as evidenced by confirmed return tickets, it said.

The government reserves the right to test any passenger who has submitted negative RT-PCR test results at random with Rapid Antigen Test.

Those who are found positive shall be immediately isolated and taken to medical facilities as per health protocol, it added.

(PTI)