Negative RT-PCR report or fully vaccinated certificate mandatory to enter Bengal

Kolkata, July 20: The West Bengal government has made a negative RT-PCR report mandatory for those entering the state. Those who have been vaccinated will have to carry a certificate which can be produced at the time of boarding an order by the state government read.

The decision will be implemented with immediate effect, the order said. The rules say that the RT-PCR test must be conducted within 72 hours of the departure of the flight.

The rules come in the wake of the medics announcing a countrywide warning of a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and multiple mutations being reported in the country.

West Bengal on Sunday reported 801 new COVID-19 cases with the positivity rate coming down to 1.56 per cent, the state Health Department said in its daily bulletin.

The new cases were reported after testing 51,316 samples, it said.

The state also reported 11 more deaths, pushing the toll to 17,999.

West Bengal's COVID-19 tally was at 15,18,181 with the detection of the new cases.

North 24 Parganas, Hooghly and Purba Bardhaman accounted for two deaths each, and one person died in Kolkata.

In the last 24 hours, 1,012 people recovered, following which the recovery rate rose to 97.95 per cent.

So far, 14,87,071 people have recovered from the disease in West Bengal.

There are 13,111 active cases in the state at present.