India News | Ministry of Tourism Urges States to Drop Mandatory RT-PCR Clause for Fully Vaccinated Tourists
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The Union Ministry of Tourism has urged all state governments to drop the provision of mandatory RT-PCR tests for visitors who have received both doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
New Delhi, Aug 12 (PTI) The Union Ministry of Tourism has urged all state governments to drop the provision of mandatory RT-PCR tests for visitors who have received both doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
In a letter to all states, the ministry said the matter was discussed at a virtual meeting with all state and union territory Tourism department principal secretaries and the Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality (FAITH) under the chairpersonship of the Union tourism secretary on August 5.
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Currently, only some states like Maharashtra and Sikkim allow entry to fully vaccinated travellers without negative RT-PCR reports.
States such as West Bengal (for travellers from Mumbai, Pune and Chennai), Karnataka, Goa and Chhattisgarh still ask for negative RT-PCR reports, irrespective of double vaccination status.
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The ministry said that the removal of the provision would help build confidence among travellers and boost tourism.
Sources indicate that the ministry took this step after various tourism stakeholders complained that such provisions seriously affected their businesses.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)