SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Health department has decided to ease the protocols for people entering the state and also provide relief to those going out of the state for a short duration.
According to the revised draft, it is mandatory for all people entering Meghalaya to register themselves prior to their travel while all entrants producing a COVlD-negative report at the entry point would be exempted from testing, irrespective of their state of origin.
The entrants would have to undergo tests such as RT-PCR/TruNat/CBNAAT/RAT in a recognised laboratory while the test reports would be valid only if the entrants have been tested within 72 hours of their arrival at the entry point.
The revised protocols state that testing at entry points is available for entrants who do not have a COVID-negative report, at a cost fixed by the government. Entrants can choose either rapid antigen test (RAT) or RT-PCR.
As far as quarantine of the inbound visitors is concerned, all entrants with a negative RT-PCR/TruNat/CBNAAT report and not having any symptoms would be exempted from quarantine and could proceed with their daily activities normally.
In addition, all entrants undergoing RT-PCR tests at the entry point should be under home quarantine or paid quarantine till the test results are declared. “If tested negative, such individuals can carry on with their daily activities or work normally. If tested positive, the SOP for home or institutional isolation should be followed,” the revised draft stated.
Entrants testing RAT negative at the entry point or coming with a RAT negative certificate would have to undergomandatory quarantine of seven days. If tested positive, SOP for home or institutional isolation should be followed.
According to the draft protocols, all asymptomatic persons going out of Meghalaya for a short duration of five days or less shall, on return, be exempted from quarantine if tested RAT negative at entry.
“They shall provide a valid travel document in the form of air/rail ticket or taxi voucher or any other evidence validating such travel,” the revised draft said.
“Visitors coming for a specific purpose (business, examinations, industry, work, personal distress, etc.) to the state of Meghalaya for a short duration of five days or less are exempted from quarantine on production of a COVID-negative RAT report from a recognised laboratory,” it stated.
“In case the visit needs to be extended for more than five days, the visitors should mandatorily undergo RT-PCR/CBNAAT/TruNat test at their own expense in any of the recognised laboratory in the state on the fifth day and they will be allowed to carry on with their work only after declaration of the test result,” it added.