14-day institutional quarantine mandatory for those arriving in Delhi from Andhra, Telangana

Delhi Disaster Management Authority order said a virulent Covid variant was reported in Andhra Pradesh & Telangana, with a shorter incubation period & high transmission rate.

Representational image | A woman traveller outside the gates of the IGI airport in Delhi | Suraj Bisht | ThePrint

New Delhi: People arriving in the national capital from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana through any mode of transport will have to undergo 14 days of mandatory institutional quarantine, said an order issued by the Delhi government on Thursday.

However, those who have been administered both doses of any COVID vaccine or carry a negative RT-PCR test report not older than 72 hours prior to undertaking the journey, will be required to be home quarantined for seven days, it said.

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) stated in the order that a virulent variant of COVID-19 is reported to have been found recently in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

The new strain of COVID-19 has a shorter incubation period with high transmission rate and the progress of disease is much more rapid in this strain, it said.

Therefore, additional precautionary measures with respect to people coming from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to Delhi through flights, trains, buses or cars are required to be taken, it said.

“All persons arriving from the state of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in NCT of Delhi by airlines, trains, buses, cars, trucks or any other mode of transportation shall have to undergo mandatory government institutional quarantine or paid quarantine for 14 days at facilities established by the concerned district magistrate,” stated the order.

Resident commissioners of concerned state bhawans will be responsible for ensuring the compliance of instructions for quarantine in case of those reaching there, the DDMA order said.

Similarly, owners of hotels, guest houses and such facilities will be responsible for compliance of the order if people from the two states stay there, it added.

The concerned district magistrates in the national capital will ensure compliance of instructions in the order and take necessary action as per health protocol, SOPs prevailing in Delhi with regard to screening, testing, home quarantine, isolation, surveillance of such people, the order said.