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Egypt to test visitors from countries with Covid-19 variants on arrival

Egypt will require all visitors arriving from "countries where variants of the virus have appeared" to take a rapid Covid-19 test upon arrival, its health ministry said in a statement on Saturday. The statement did not specify the countries from which passengers would take the 15-minute DNA test, called ID NOW. Egypt's new coronavirus cases have been steadily rising in recent weeks. On Saturday it reported 1,125 new cases and 65 deaths, although experts say that reflects only a fraction of total cases. In a statement on Saturday, Egypt's tourism ministry clarified that restaurants and coffee shops attached to hotels were exempt from a recent decree that such outlets as well as malls and stores would close at 9 p.m. local time (GMT +2) in order to not affect tourism.

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14-day institutional quarantine must for those visiting Delhi from these states. Details here

People arriving in the national capital from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana twill have to undergo 14 days of mandatory institutional quarantine, said an order issued by the Delhi government. This order is applicable for people travelling by flights, trains, buses or cars. "All persons arriving from the state of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in NCT of Delhi by airlines, trains, buses, cars, trucks or any other mode of transportation shall have to undergo mandatory government institutional quarantine or paid quarantine for 14 days at facilities established by the concerned district magistrate," stated the order. However, those who have been administered both doses of any COVID vaccine or carry a negative RT-PCR test report not older than 72 hours prior to undertaking the journey, will be required to be home quarantined for seven days, it said. People who have received the two doses will have to present the vaccination certificate, it said. Airlines such as IndiGo, Vistara and SpiceJet have informed the travellers about the new rules. New rules for travellers visiting Delhi from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana - 7-day mandatory quarantine for passengers from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana carrying a negative RT-PCR test report or vaccination certificate (after 2 doses) - 14-day mandatory quarantine for passengers from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana travelling without a negative RT-PCR test report or vaccination certificate (after 2 doses) Virulent COVID-19 variant found in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) stated in the order that a virulent variant of COVID-19 is reported to have been found recently in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The new strain of COVID-19 has a shorter incubation period with high transmission rate and the progress of disease is much more rapid in this strain. New norms for inter state travel Some states such as Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Kerala have similar orders in place like West Bengal, while others such as Maharashtra have state-specific test requirements. The West Bengal government had on Tuesday itself issued a directive stating that all flight passengers coming from other states will have to possess a mandatory negative RT-PCR test report conducted within 72 hours of flight departure, to be allowed entry into the state. This directive came into effect on Friday.

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Uttarakhand imposes COVID curfew till May 18, check what’s allowed

In the view of rising COVID-19 cases, the Uttarakhand government on Sunday (May 9, 2021) decided to impose a week-long 'COVID Curfew' which will remain in force between 6 am on May 11 and 6 am on May 18. State Cabinet Minister Subodh Uniyal while making the announcement said, “people of Uttarakhand coming from outside will have to undergo seven-day isolation.” The State Cabinet Minister also added that the shops will only be open from 7 am to 10, except tomorrow (Monday), where shops will be open till 1 pm. Take a look at the complete set of guideline here: 1. Under the week-long COVID curfew, shops selling essential items like fruits, milk and vegetables will be allowed to function from 7 am to 10 am. 2. On the other hand, grocery shops in the state will be permitted to open on May 13 only. 3. Shopping malls, market complexes, gyms, theatres, assembly halls will remain closed during this period. 4. Not more than 20 people will be allowed to attend a wedding ceremony or funerals in the state. 5. Mediapersons, Journalist will be allowed to travel in the state after presenting their ID cards. 6. Travellers coming from outside the state will now have to produce negative RT-PCR results not older than 72 hours. 7. Travellers will also have to register themselves on the Dehradun administration's portal before entering the state. 8. People of Uttarakhand coming from outside will have to undergo a 7-day quarantine. 9. Interstate movements of vehicles will not be allowed to take more than 50 percent of passengers. 10. Individuals who are travelling to a vaccination centre will be exempted, but will have to present registration documents. Meanwhile, on Sunday, Uttarakhand recorded over 5,890 new COVID-19 cases and 180 deaths. The state also recorded 2,731 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

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Covid negative certificates or proof of jab must for tourists entering Goa

Goa has made it mandatory for tourists entering the state to either have Covid-19 negative certificates or that of having been fully vaccinated. Chief minister Pramod Sawant on Friday said that the measure would be enforced from next week in compliance with a high court order. “Tourists entering Goa will have to produce valid RT PCR [reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction] negative test reports or proof of vaccination upon entering the state. This is only applicable for tourists,” Sawant said. The announcement came after the Bombay High Court at Goa on Thursday said that it was “not justified” that Goa is not insisting upon Covid-19 negative certificates from people seeking to visit the state. “Based on this unrestricted entry, Goa is touted as one of the few tourist destinations where all is well. This is neither fair to the populace in Goa already suffering from the overstretched medical infrastructure nor to the unsuspecting tourists who have to very often avail of the overstretched facilities at a great price,” the court said. It added the government should come up with restrictions. The court said that it was unfair to the state’s population that Goa being a tourist destination was being cited as a reason for not making it mandatory for having negative tests on arrival. Goa was reluctant to put restrictions on tourist arrivals fearing it would damage the tourism industry following a bad year due to a harsh Covid-19 induced lockdown in 2020. Goa had the highest positivity rate among states (48.5%) the first week of May.

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The UK will reopen travel to limited destinations from May 17

Britain is all set to restart international travel from May 17 but to only limited destinations (quarantine-free holidays). The countries that have made it to the green list include Israel, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. The announcement was made by the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. Shapps said, "Today marks the first step in our cautious return to international travel, with measures designed above all else to protect public health and ensure we don't throw away the hard-fought gains we've all strived to earn this year" However, popular tourist destinations like France, Spain, Italy, the United States and Greece couldn’t make it to the list. If a Briton visits these nations, he/she will require self-isolation on return to the UK. The secretary further said, “The only route out of this pandemic is a careful, prudent and responsible one. The reason there aren’t more places on the list is there aren’t more places that are in the fortunate position that the U.K. has got itself in.” There are a few measures that one will have to take for green list travel. It will require travellers taking two tests for COVID-19. One will be taken right before arrival back into the UK and one within two days of returning to the country. But the countries where Britons wish to travel will still have their own entry rules. For example, the US has banned Britons from entering the country.

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Tamil Nadu to go into a complete lockdown from May 10 to 24

In order to curb the rising COVID-19 cases in the country, the Tamil Nadu government has announced a complete lockdown from May 10 to 24. The decision was taken after the state crossed the 25000 mark on Friday and reported 26465 new cases. 197 people have already lost their lives taking the death toll to 15171 in the state. The government has allowed all shops and institutions to function for two days, that is on May 8 and 9. These will be operational from 6 AM to 9 PM so that the public can make prior arrangements. Tamil Chief Minister MK Stalin said in a statement that the lockdown is being enforced because of "unavoidable reasons". The decision was taken after a review meeting with district collectors and medical experts. The CM announced, "The total lockdown will be enforced from 4 am on May 10 to 4 am on May 24". Things one must know before travelling to Tamil Nadu: 1) During this time all the religious spots in Tamil Nadu will remain shut and nobody will be allowed to enter. 2) All schools, universities, and training institutes will remain closed. 3) No cabs or auto rickshaws will be allowed on roads. Only hospital or wedding/funeral work will be allowed. 4) Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation Limited (TASMAC) liquor outlets to remain shut. 5) All kinds of events including, social, political, sports or cultural will be prohibited.

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