Negative RT-PCR report needed to enter Himachal Pradesh after April 16

Himachal Pradesh joins Delhi, Assam, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Karnataka who have also issued similar orders following the rise in cases of the coronavirus disease across the nation.

The Himachal Pradesh government said on Sunday it will issue a directive asking people travelling to the state from Punjab, Delhi, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh to carry a negative RT-PCR Covid-19 test report after April 16, the chief minister’s office said. The decision was taken after Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur reviewed the Covid-19 situation in the state, his office said.

A healthcare worker gets a sample of a swab for the COVID-19 test, in Lahaul Spiti. (ANI)

Himachal Pradesh issued a similar order for people entering the state on Friday but it only made negative RT-PCR tests mandatory for labourers of other states entering the state’s Spiti valley for work. It also asked contractors to present the negative RT-PCR tests before entering the valley.

The state over the past week has imposed fresh restrictions on gatherings as well due to a surge in Covid-19 cases. The government on Tuesday restricted gatherings at marriage ceremonies to 50 people indoors and with a maximum of 200 for outdoors. It also said that only 50 people will be allowed to attend funerals.

Himachal Pradesh reported 941 cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, which took the state’s tally to 69,114. The state also reported 12 fresh fatalities and now its death toll stands at 1,102.