As travel boomed between the first and the second wave of travel in India, many states, such as Maharashtra, for one, kept their guard from passengers, both domestic and international. However, many fake reports still did float around, with people using them out of laziness, to cover for a positive CoVid-19 case and still travel and other reasons best known to people themselves. With no live validation of reports, it might have also meant people travelled abroad on these reports and transmitted the Virus on foreign shores as well.
The screws were tightened recently, however, with Dubai asking for a QR-coded RT-PCR report for those travelling from India before they eventually shut down travel from India altogether.
However, the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation has now made it mandatory for passengers travelling abroad from India to carry only QR-coded RT-PCR reports. This will be the mandate for everyone, even if the other side does not insist on a QR code.
So, if you are scheduled to travel outside India from May 22, 2021, onwards, please make it a point to get an RT-PCR report with a QR code for live verification for your report. This rule is specifically applicable for now for those who are travelling abroad at the moment and need to carry an RT-PCR negative report as a part of their journey requirements.
What do you think of this new requirement for an RT-PCR report to have a QR Code?
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It had to be done. I personally know quite a few people who travelled with fake reports. Also, at most airports (Mumbai included) people were bribing officials to avoid quarantine or even RT-PCR tests. The local corrupt officials will find a loophole for this as well.
This is such a lame decision when labs all over India are not even providing reports with QR codes. See valid concerns from passengers on twitter https://twitter.com/search?q=airindiain%20qr%20code.
@BS one more time when instead of standardising reports, they just shifted the burden to people, unfortunately.
When many state govt were not even willing to put up centrally funded oxygen plants in hospitals in 4Q2020 (as it would affect oxygen sellers profits), why would they do anything else that the center advises?