As the sequel of the sharp rise of COVID-19 cases in some parts of the country and beyond, the Tamil Nadu government has initiated measures to tackle the spread in the state and the government has re-inforced the guidelines for the people who are arriving in the state from beyond its borders. 

The development has come owing to the disturbing reports from Maharashtra and Kerala as these both states have been recording a steady soar in COVID-19 cases, pushing their nearby states to streamline the entry with mandatory guidelines. The Tamil Nadu government has on Wednesday issued fresh guidelines for people coming to the state from abroad and other states.

The issuance of the fresh guidelines has come a day after Tamil Nadu Health Secretary Radhakrishnan had expressed concern over the rise of the number of fresh cases. According to the revised guidelines, people coming from Kerala and Maharashtra to Tamil Nadu must undergo a mandatory home quarantine of seven days. Let's take a look at the guidelines that you should know if you are going to visit Tamil Nadu. 

• People coming to Tamil Nadu from Kerala and Maharashtra should undergo mandatory home quarantine for seven days and they have to self-monitor their health for symptoms for the next seven days. 
• People who are coming from other states and union territories apart from Kerala and Maharashtra must self-monitor their health for 14 days after their arrival.
• For international passengers coming to India on flights other than those originating in the United Kingdom, Europe, Brazil, South Africa, and the Middle-East, 14-days of self-monitoring of health is mandatory.  
• International passengers coming to India on flights originating or transiting through the United Kingdom, Europe, Brazil, South Africa, and the Middle East must carry a negative RT-PCR test report taken within 72 hours before the journey begins. All these passengers will be tested once again upon arrival at the airport in India. 
• According to the fresh guidelines, passengers coming on flights originating or transiting through the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil will be permitted to take their connecting flights only if the tests in the landing airport return negative. They shall undergo mandatory home quarantine for seven days and will be tested again after the seventh day. If the test returns negative, they will be released from home quarantine and asked to self-monitor their health for seven more days. 
• Passengers coming on flights originating/ transiting through the Middle East and Europe will be asked to self-monitor their health for 14 days if the test taken at the landing airport spells negative and all the symptomatic persons arriving from other states will be subjected to COVID-19 testing. 

The reports that the Tamil Nadu government has included the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil in the guidelines in the wake of the emergence of new COVID-19 variants. These guidelines have come into effect and the government has asked the concerned stakeholders to adhere to the guidelines while visiting Tamil Nadu. According to the state health department, Tamil Nadu has reported 8,49,629 positive COVID-19 cases so far as of Wednesday. Of these positive cases, 4,062 are active, 8,33,089 cases have been discharged, and 12,478 had succumbed to the infection. In recent times, the state has been reporting around 450 cases every day on average.