BMC to State Government: Free the Passengers from Negative RT-PCR test Reports

A request was made by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday to the state government to free the passengers arriving at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport from carrying RT-PCR test reports. As the cases rose in May all over the country, the State of Maharashtra was seen imposing strict restrictions for travel to the state, with  compulsory negative RT-PCR report obtained 48 hours in advance.

 

In a letter by Mumbai Municipal Commissioner IS Chahal to Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte he stated that, “As the vaccination, the drive has started to take place all over the nation and there are many citizens who have got both the doses of the vaccination. A request is being made by these to not make it compulsory to carry negative RT-PCR test report”.

 

Further, the letter added, “There are many travellers who have to travel for business purposes that are travelling in the morning and returning on the same day, for a situation like this it becomes very difficult to get the RT-PCR test reports in time”. Maharashtra Government has not made any decision till now at the request of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Walk-in vaccinations have got a nod from the civic body from Monday to Saturday for the students who are travelling abroad for higher education, people having jobs in foreign countries, and athletes and support staff attending the Olympics in Tokyo. 

 

The facility for this category will go on till August 31, in the past, this facility was only for three days a week that is Monday to Wednesday at the assigned vaccination centres all over the city. This decision of walk-in vaccination was made in response to the increasing demand for this facility by the people falling in this category.  People falling in this category need to have all the required documents such as letters confirming their admission and job offers, besides authorized letters from the sports ministry regarding their participation in the Olympics.