Visiting Lakshadweep? Covid curbs revised in view of improved situation. Details here

In view of the improvement in the coronavirus situation and almost 100% vaccination coverage in the Union Territory, the Lakshadweep administration on November 12 revised the travel restrictions and quarantine norms in the archipelago. The Lakshadweep administration has issued an order indicating the revised restrictions and norms like non-requirement of a coronavirus test to travel there from the mainland or for moving from one island to another for those who have taken both doses of vaccine 14 days prior to the trip. Those fully vaccinated 14 days prior to their travel would not be quarantined either on arrival at the island from the mainland or the other islands of the archipelago, the notification read. Non-vaccinated or partially vaccinated persons, however, need to have a negative Covid-19 (RT-PCR) test result not older than 48 hours from date of travel and they would also have to undergo three days mandatory quarantine on arrival, it said. The other norms are that shore leave would be granted only to those ship crew who have been fully vaccinated and that thermal-scanning of passengers has to be carried out at Kochi and all ports of arrival. Deputy Collectors or Block Development Officers have been directed to ensure strict enforcement of COVID-19 appropriate behaviour in all islands at all time, the order said. Meanwhile, Lakshadweep is close to achieving full coronavirus vaccination of its eligible population while the coverage is over 70 per cent in Sikkim, Goa and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. "Lakshadweep (99.2 per cent) is close to achieving full COVID-19 vaccination of its eligible population, while Sikkim has achieved 87.8 per cent, Goa 79.7 per cent and Andaman and Nicobar Islands 72.2 per cent," an official source told PTI.