Negative RT-PCR test results may no longer be required for fully vaccinated tourists travelling to Mumbai. The decision was taken after Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal wrote a letter to the state government stating that certain passengers taking flights to other cities in the morning and returning the same day were unable to get the tests done in such a short span of time.

The letter said the COVID-19 vaccination drive was underway across the country and many citizens, who are fully vaccinated, have been requesting that the RT-PCR negative test report norm be waived off.

“In view of the above, the domestic passengers who are fully vaccinated may be exempted from carrying negative RT-PCR test report while arriving in the city of Mumbai,” Chahal said in an order on Tuesday, Live Mint reported. 

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In May, the civic body had made an RT-PCR negative report mandatory to enter Mumbai. The test needed to be carried out within 48 hours of commencing the journey towards the metropolis.

While it was at first applicable to those coming in from Gujarat, Goa, Delhi, Rajasthan and Kerala, all of which had high infection counts at the time, the rule gradually was extended to cover all passengers irrespective of the origin state.

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Maharashtra on Tuesday reported 7,243 new coronavirus cases and 196 deaths, taking the tally of infections in the state to 61,72,645 and the death toll to 1,26,220. Meanwhile, 59,38,734 have been discharged in the state as of Tuesday. The recovery rate now stands at 96.21%.

The state as of Tuesday had 1,04,406 active COVID-19 cases and of these, the highest 16,663 are in Pune district, followed by Thane and Mumbai at 16,100 and 10,611 patients, respectively.

Mumbai recorded 454 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, taking the city’s case tally to 7,28,644. The death toll increased to 15,644 with eight fatalities.