Tamil Nadu makes E-pass mandatory for domestic and int'l passengers, 3 states exempted

All overseas and domestic passengers except those from Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Puducherry arriving in Tamil Nadu must now carry an E-pass, to get an entry into the State, read a Government order dated March 4. The Tamil Nadu government has been issued due to the sudden surge in Coronavirus cases, wherein the state recorded over 520 fresh positives on Sunday, while four people succumbed to the virus.

'Travellers and their close contacts will be traced'

The government intends to trace the traveler arriving in Tamil Nadu or their contacts if they had tested positive for coronavirus during their stay in the South Indian state. This step also comes after the State Health Secretary, J Radhakrishnan apprised the officials in charge of the 'laxity among people in wearing masks and a trend of formation of Covid-19 clusters after many people gathered in weddings and funeral ceremonies', PTI reported.

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Moreover, the government has also issued certain new guidelines for travelers arriving from overseas. Passengers from the UK, South Africa, and Brazil arriving directly to Tamil Nadu, must give their samples for testing before leaving the Airports. This has to be mandatorily done even if the passenger tested negative for Coronavirus in the other states upon arrival to India.

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'Passengers from Europe, Middle East must fill SDF'

Passengers from Europe and the Middle East (except UK, SA, and Brazil) have been asked to fill a Self Declaration Form for Coronavirus. This must be done by visiting the Air Suvidha Portal before a passenger's schedules travel into India. The passengers have also been asked to disclose the details of their travel (14 days prior to arrival). They must get an RT-PCR test done 72 hours before their day of travel to India and the negative report must be uploaded on www.newdelhiairport.in

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Variants of Coronavirus a major concern

Authorities in Tamil Nadu have raked up efforts to track tourists traveling into the state. The government in collaboration with the hospitals tested 54,864 people for Coronavirus on Saturday. It also has to be noted that variant B.1.1.7 that was first identified in Britain has been the reason behind the rising number of positives across the globe. B.1.351 variant that was first discovered in South Africa is also being studied by scientists in the United States and the UK.

Recently the scientists pointed that the B.1.1.7 is now clubbed with a particular mutation 'E484K' or 'Eek' that is largely 'susceptible to vaccines'. The Eek was earlier this year also identified in select regions of Maharashtra, after which the state government had declared lockdowns in Amravathi, Yavatmal along with others. 

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