The Tamil Nadu government has put forth the revised testing and quarantine guidelines for people who are returning from abroad or other Indian states and for those who are making inter-district travels.  As per the revised guidelines, the visitors must go through the mandatory quarantine before going to their destinations. 

Here are the guidelines that one should be aware of before traveling to Tamil Nadu,

Guidelines for those who return from abroad:

The returnees from the foreign countries will be tested and if in case they confirmed positive for the virus, they will be taken to hospital for further treatment. If they haven't shown any symptoms and tested negative, they will be kept under institutional quarantine for seven days under the government. 

The quarantined returnees will be tested again after seven days and if they confirmed to have contracted to the virus, they will be moved to the hospital for isolation and if the test returns negative, they will be advised to remain under home quarantine for 14 days. Through these guidelines, it can be learned that all returnees would be kept under 21 days of quarantine even they test negative for the virus.

Guidelines for inter-state travelers:

In whichever way they enter, all inter-state travelers, from other states or union-territories, must undergo testing before entering into the state. Positive cases will be taken to the hospital and people who tested negative will be kept under seven days of institutional quarantine and it would apply only for those who have returned to Tamil Nadu from Delhi, Maharashtra, and Gujarat as these three are the national hotspots. 

If people from these states don't show any symptoms after seven days of institutional quarantine, they will be advised to stay under home quarantine for seven days and people who returned from other states, apart from these three hotspots, would be asked to remain under home quarantine for 14 days. People can request the government to accommodate them in the government quarantine facility if they don't have adequate quarantine facilities at their homes.

Guidelines for Inter-district travelers:

People who are traveling between districts of Tamil Nadu will be tested only if they show symptoms such as cold, breathing difficulty, high fever, and cough and the government has mandated inter-district travelers to remain under home quarantine for 14 days. According to the reports, the government has awarded exemptions in the guidelines for travelers who fall under four categories. 

These exemptions will apply for all kinds of travelers - abroad, inter-state, and inter-district. People with illnesses who require immediate medical support in the hospital, pregnant women, people who are above 75 years with the requirement of assistance, and people who came to attend death rituals or funeral of the deceased family member can avail these exemptions. 

These people can choose hospital quarantine or home quarantine after providing the samples for initial testing and they must submit the undertaking that they will get admitted to the hospital if their results turned out to be positive for the virus. They must approach the authorities in advance if they wish to avail these exemptions. 

Recently, the Tamil Nadu government has launched two websites in permitting the movement of people in the state and one is for availing government's pass to travel in the state for medical emergencies, weddings, and deaths. The other website has been launched to rescue the stranded Tamil people from foreign countries and other Indian states. The residents of Tamil Nadu can approach these links to avail vehicle passes for traveling and to return to the state and you must be aware that you will be meeting these guidelines once you reached the state.

To avail a vehicle e-pass from the Tamil Nadu government, please visit: https://tnepass.tnega.org/#/user/pass

Living in abroad and other states and willing to return to Tamil Nadu, please visit: https://nonresidenttamil.org/