State Announces New Testing Protocol for Foreign Nationals Arriving in Maharashtra

The State Health Department of Maharashtra has posted new guidelines with regard to novel coronavirus testing for foreign nationals arriving in the state. This comes as the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had revised its guidelines for the testing protocol in the country recently. 

Authorities in the state have been directed to conduct RT-PCR tests on foreign visitors, including those who have symptoms but with a negative antigen test report. The test will also be conducted on those deemed to be high-risk contacts of COVID-19 patients.

Additionally, medical institutions have been asked to conduct rapid antigen tests on patients that require immediate treatment, while a TrueNAT test has been recommended for pregnant women, those who require emergency operations, and deceased patients that are brought to the hospital. 

The order issued on Aug 21 by the Principal Secretary of the State Health Department, Dr Pradeep Vyas read - “We have determined a new algorithm for conducting Covid-19 tests and have divided people into three groups. Now, antigen tests should be conducted on patients needing emergency treatment so that it can be started within half an hour.”

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The order also states that tests may not be conducted on travellers visiting villages if they don’t show any symptoms of the virus. In order to reduce the stress on the testing infrastructure, local officials have been directed to conduct an RT-PCR test only once per patient in line with the guidelines put out by the ICMR.

The protocol also states that patients that are admitted to mental health institutions have to be quarantined for a week followed by an antigen test. The result will then determine whether the patient needs to be isolated or moved to a separate ward. The same protocol will apply to new inmates arriving in jails or prisons across Maharashtra, the order said.