Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, the Uttarakhand government has now made it mandatory for people coming from a dozen states to furnish negative RT-PCR test reports not older than 72 hours on arrival from today.

Issuing the advisory, chief secretary of the state Om Prakash said the restriction would apply to those coming from Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan by road, air and trains from 1 April.

People coming from these states, including those residing in Uttarakhand, shall strictly adhere to the norms of safety and social distancing as per the guidelines of the Home Affairs and the Health ministries and that of the state government, the advisory said. Violations will be punishable under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, it said.

The district administration shall make arrangements for random COVID-19 testing at the airport, railway stations and all border check posts, it added. If any inbound person is found positive for COVID-19, prevailing standard operating procedure shall be followed for further care, the advisory said.

However, there shall be no restriction on inter-state and intra-state movement of essential services and goods, it stated. Along with this, the February 26 order regarding the SOP for prevention and control of COVID-19 during the Maha Kumbh Mela 2021 at Haridwar shall be strictly followed, the official added.