States in the country have their own laws on who they will quarantine, for how long and whether the people concerned will be eligible to free quarantine or will have to pay for it. What is common to all states is that trains, buses, aircraft and even passengers who drive themselves to Goa will have to produce a no objection certificate and have themselves tested before they can come into any State...

By Aishwarya Upadhyay

As air travel resumes in India and confusion prevails despite the norms laid down by the Ministry of Civil Aviation as well as the guidelines issued by different airlines. In addition states are now announcing their quarantine measures to help control the spread of COVID-19. States have opted to set their own quarantine and self-isolation rules instead of following the Centre’s guidelines for passengers travelling via air. While most states have announced they will take passengers to institution quarantine, only if they show COVID-19 symptoms such as cough or fever, there are some states that  will additionally mandate self-isolation for 2 to 4 weeks, even  if the travellers are asymptomatic. Here’s a quick look at some of the states and their quarantine guidelines for the arriving air travellers:

Andhra Pradesh

Symptomatic passengers landing in Andhra Pradesh will have to undergo institutional quarantine while asymptotic passengers will be in home isolation for 14 days.

Assam

All the fliers arriving in Assam will be screened and thereafter put under 14 days of quarantine in home and institutional facility, depending upon the symptoms.

Chhattisgarh

In Chhattisgarh, even those without symptoms will be in quarantine for 14 days, they can however choose between home or hotel quarantine.

Delhi

Asymptomatic passengers travelling to the national capital, Delhi, will not require quarantine or isolation. They will be advised to self-monitor their health for 14 days and if they develop any symptoms, they will have to inform the district surveillance officer or the state/national call centre on 1075. On the other hand, if the airport staff notices that a patient is symptomatic, they will be isolated and taken to the nearest health facility. There, they will be assessed and those with moderate or severe symptoms will be admitted to dedicated COVID-19 health facilities, while others with mild symptoms will be given the option of isolation at home or in a COVID-19 care centre.

Goa

Passengers arriving in Goa, will have to produce a COVID-19 negative certificate issued within 48 hours prior to the date of arrival by a lab authorised by ICMR. Fliers without the said certificate will have to undergo a test for Rs. 2.000 and practice home isolation, till the results come.
If they test positive, they will be admitted to a COVID hospital and their family will be kept in paid institutional quarantine. Those who can’t afford to pay the Rs. 2000 for the test, will be under mandatory 14 day home isolation.

Himachal Pradesh

Only residents of Himachal Pradesh are allowed to travel to the state and they will undergo thermal screening followed by 28 days quarantine – seven days at an institutional facility and 21 days at home.

Jammu and Kashmir

Those travelling to J&K will remain in institutional quarantine for two weeks.

Karnataka

The Karnataka government has said that the passengers travelling to the state from ‘high incidence zones’ like Delhi, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, will have to stay under institutional or state-run quarantine for seven days followed by home quarantine for another week. While passengers from other states will be under 14 days of home quarantine.
However, businesspersons travelling with a COVID-19 negative test certificate from an Indian Council of Medical Research-approved lab two days before the date of travel, will not be quarantined in Karnataka.

Kerala

Those travelling to Kerala are directed to present a compulsory entry pass, available on their health department website, and follow 14 day home quarantine. If passengers are without the pass, they will have to undergo a 14-day institutional quarantine. The quarantine will not be necessary for travellers on business and others who will be in the state for a brief time.

Madhya Pradesh

Travellers arriving in Madhya Pradesh will have to follow 14 days home quarantine as well. However, those who seem symptomatic will go to a government facility for testing and will be in institutional quarantine for 14 days.

Maharashtra

Asymptomatic passengers arriving in Maharashtra will get a home quarantine stamp for 14 days while symptomatic ones will be under institutional quarantine. Passengers travelling to the state for a short duration will be exempt from quarantine, if they do not display any COVID-19 symptoms.

Manipur

Manipur will test only the symptomatic people, who will undergo 14 days of home quarantine

Meghalaya

Passengers arriving in Meghalaya at the Guwahati airport will be taken to  Shillong or Tura. Here, they will be tested and kept in an institutional quarantine for at least 48 hours. Those found negative will be allowed to go home.

Mizoram

Mizoram has allowed only permanent residents of the state and government employees who are stranded in other states to return. They will all undergo 14 days of institutional quarantine upon arrival.

Odisha

If a passenger is travelling to Odisha for three days, no mandatory quarantine is needed. For others however, 14-days home or institutional quarantine is compulsory depending upon their symptoms.

Punjab

Punjab government has announced a 14-day home quarantine for those arriving IN the state. If anyone is found to be symptomatic, they will have to undergo the COVID-19 test and be under institutional quarantine.

Rajasthan

Passengers arriving in Rajasthan will have to follow 14 days of home quarantine, wherein those coming for business and those with a negative COVID-19 report will be allowed to move around after seven days.

Tamil Nadu

Asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic travellers Tamil Nadu will undergo 14-day quarantine at either home or hotel while moderate to severely symptomatic people will be in institutional quarantine.

Telangana

Symptomatic passengers arriving in Telangana will be sent to hospital for COVID test and subsequently to institutional quarantine, while asymptomatic passengers won’t be stopped. Telangana does not mandate asymptomatic travellers to follow home quarantine.

Tripura

Tripura will conduct pool testing and advise home quarantine based on the result.

Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand government has announced that the quarantine protocols will be followed in the state depending on the passenger’s health examination and travel history.

Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh will make the passengers travelling to the state for long-term to practice 14 days home quarantine. They will be tested after six days of home quarantine however, and can end the isolation if it returns negative. Those without a separate room and toilet for isolation can opt for institutional quarantine.
If the fliers are travelling to UP for less than a week, they need to provide details and a return ticket before leaving the airport.
Gujarat, Chandigarh Bihar and Haryana, do not impose mandatory quarantine for those arriving in these states, however, Haryana’s Gurugram administration insists on 14-day home isolation; four days of institutional quarantine. Flights to West Bengal will resume from May 28, in the aftermath of Cyclone Amphan and the state has not announced any measures as yet.