Centre asks Maharashtra to align with its Covid norms for travellers

The Union health ministry on Wednesday urged the Maharashtra government to align with the Centre’s guidelines and standard operating procedures (SoPs) for air passengers. Divergent guidelines and SoPs on mandatory Covid-19 testing and quarantine norms for travellers coming from “at-risk” countries could create challenges for domestic and international passengers.

After the Centre’s new guidelines for international travellers kicked in on Wednesday, the Maharashtra government imposed additional restrictions across the state’s airports. Additional restrictions have also been imposed on domestic travellers to and from Maharashtra.

The Union health secretary on Wednesday urged the Maharashtra government to align with the Centre’s guidelines and SoPs. The health ministry has called for uniform implementation of the guidelines across all states/ Union Territories to prevent inconvenience to travellers.