Coronavirus: Now Train Passengers From ‘Sensitive Locations’ To Maharashtra Require RT-PCR Negative Test Report; Read Guidelines In Detail Here

Mubarak Ansari & Sumit Singh

Pune, 19 April 2021: As the number of Coronavirus disease (COVID19) cases are rising across the country, the Maharashtra government has released a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for those who want to travel by train.

As per the guidelines, some origin stations in other states will be marked as ‘sensitive’ and people who want to travel from those stations to Maharashtra will require an RT-PCR test report for COVID negative within 48 hours of departure. If anybody is found without the test report, he/she will be required to undergo Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) at the destination station and if found positive or have symptoms, the passenger will be taken to a quarantine centre or hospital.

Also, a 15-days home quarantine stamp will be marked on the hand of all passengers. If such passengers are found violating the home quarantine rule, they will be fined Rs 1,000.

The Maharashtra government has also asked the railways to share the details of passengers in advance. All passengers shall be compulsorily screened and only asymptomatic passengers shall be allowed to board the trains for Maharashtra. Only reserved ticket passengers should be allowed to board the train, the state government has appealed to the railways. Check list of states marked ‘places of sensitive origin’

Read in detail the guidelines issued on April 18, 2021, by Sitaram Kunte, Chief Secretary of Government of Maharashtra:

A. Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for travel to Maharashtra through Railways:

COVID APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR will form an essential part of all train travel from/ into/ within the State (except for local trains). It will be the joint responsibility of the Railway authorities and the local Disaster Management Authority to ensure the same.

This will include without exception the following:

a. All passengers must compulsorily wear masks in a proper fashion throughout the journey and at the railway stations.

b. All passengers have to maintain proper social distancing while boarding/ alighting from the trains or when getting tested/checked at the stations when needed.

c. Thermal scanners to be made available at entry/ exit points in all stations.

d. Passengers to be advised to arrive at the station well before the time of train departure to ensure no crowding for thermal scanning at the entry points.

e. e-ticketing, mobile ticketing should be promoted as it becomes easier to do the tracing of close contacts through mobile numbers. A fine system should also ideally be mobile-based or allow e-collection.

B. Sensitive Origins: Due to reasons that may lead to the higher potentiality of the spread of Corona19 in the State of Maharashtra, some origins may be declared as sensitive origins by the Maharashtra State Disaster Management Authority (MSDMA). For the trains that may be bringing in passengers from these origins, the following protocol is to be followed in addition to protocol mentioned in A above:

1. Railways shall share data of the trains that are scheduled to be running between these origins and stations of Maharashtra with the local Disaster Management Authority (DMA).

2. As a principle no unreserved ticket for Maharashtra should be issued on trains from sensitive origins. Also, passengers without a confirmed ticket should not be allowed to board for Maharashtra.

3. All passengers wishing to travel to Maharashtra will need an RT-PCR negative test within 48 hours of travel.

4. All passengers shall be compulsorily screened and only asymptomatic passengers shall be allowed to board the trains for Maharashtra. Social distancing should be ensured during boarding / deboarding and travel.

5. Railways shall share the data with the local DMA of the passengers that are travelling on the said trains and who are scheduled to disembark at various stations of Maharashtra on each day at the earliest, at least 4 hours prior to departure from the origin.

6. Though data should contain information about all the passengers that may disembark at any station of Maharashtra, it is, however, appreciated that in some cases, this data may not be completely available and thus local authorities should plan for 10% more than the expected dis-embarkment.

7. Railway authorities and local DMA should maintain close coordination to exchange information about delays or schedule changes of trains and the number of passengers disembarking.

8. Railway authorities should announce on each station en-route, the systems that have been put in place so that each passenger gets informed about the rules to follow. Railway authorities may also plan printing pamphlets in Hindi/ Marathi (bi-lingual) to be distributed to all the passengers informing them of Covid Appropriate Behaviour expected and dangers to themselves and their family members if they fail to do so. These should also carry information on fines, protocols at the destination etc.

9. To the extent possible, railway authorities should ensure that trains from these origins come to outer platforms where it may be easier to do thermal and other checking without affecting passengers from other origins and without mixing the two. Also, wherever possible, all passengers alighting from the said trains to be guided towards a single exit.

10. After dis-embarkment following must be followed: 

I. All the passengers will be queued up with social distancing for screening by the DMA/ Health authorities with assistance from the Railway authorities. Given that some of the locations may have constricted space, local DMA and railway authorities should plan the best way possible.

II. Each traveller will be screened. Passengers with negative RT-PCR tests undergo minimal checkings like thermal scanning and symptoms checking.

III. As, despite all efforts by Railways, some passengers may not carry negative RT-PCR test, to the extent possible, DMA may set up Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) testing facility at the station, either through using Railway, state government or private labs. If it is not feasible or before it becomes operational, Local DMA, in consultation with the railway officials should decide on elaborate checking for the passengers without negative RT-PCR test. However, such passengers should be let go only after reasonable confirmation of them being non-infected.

IV. Every passenger with a positive result of the test or with symptoms or refusing to undergo screening as decided above by DMA shall necessarily be moved to quarantine centres by DMA. If a passenger however wants to move to a hospital of choice that has a bed available, DMA may allow the same.

V. All passengers without symptoms and without needing to be moved to quarantine centres by DMA, without fail shall be stamped on their hands for compulsory home quarantine for 15 days. This is required for those passengers also who are carrying negative RT-PCR test as well as who have tested negative its RAT at the station or otherwise.

VI. Any person with a quarantined stamp found outside the home except for medical emergency within the period of 15 days of stamping shall be fined with Rs 1000 and shall be moved to institutional quarantine.

11. Local DMA should plan, along with local MSRTC/ local public bus transport officers, about the buses that may ply to take these passengers for onward journey. It will be desirable that most of the people coming out of the station go through planned MSRTC / local public bus transport buses smoothly and come in the least contact with other citizens. MSRTC / local public bus transport should plan routes that stay to cover most of the passengers or if possible have flexible routes.

12. Railways should decide on extra precaution to be taken by their employees while serving trains from these origins.

13. Covid Appropriate Behaviour in the trains we well as the stations must be enforced rigorously.

14. Currently not all exits have thermal scanners. It is expected that Railways will establish these at the earliest.

15. Concerned publicity department of the origin state must be informed of the decision to put the origin on a sensitive list so they can publicise the decision and ready the passengers for the requirements of boarding. They should be requested to publicise the advisory that travellers to Maharashtra should go for RT-PCR test within 48 hours of travel.

16. As insists are on the move for long times before they reach the destination and also passengers are seated in an orderly fashion, Railways may think of using this time of travel to conduct some tests or carry some operations that reduce the time required for protocols at the stations after dis-embarkment.

17. Railways shall appoint nodal officers for the state level as well as various DMA levels who shall be responsible for coordinating with SDMA and DMA for the purposes of these guidelines. SDMA and DMA shall ensure that all that is needed to be done to achieve the objectives of these guidelines is executed and may incur expenditure for the same as per the guidelines of expenditure on Covid19 disaster management.

Pune: For Chatting On WhatsApp With Boy, Man Kills Two Daughters And Commits Suicide

Join our Whatsapp Group and Telegram for each update about Pune and PCMC.

Punekarnews.in is the first and only English language news portal of Pune – the educational and cultural capital of Maharashtra – Pune.
https://t.me/punekarnews
Whatsapp Group