The Meghalaya government has revised testing and discharge protocols for COVID-19 with a concomitant need to facilitate economic activities.

Registration

As per the new protocols, the government has made it mandatory for all people entering Meghalaya to register themselves prior to their travel.

The registration needs to be done at http://meghalayaonline.gov.in/covid/testing.htm.

They also need to download the Arogya Setu App and the Behavioural Change Management App of Meghalaya from Google play store.

Testing

All entrants who produce a COVlD-19 negative report at the entry point will be exempted from testing, irrespective of their state of origin.

However, the entrants should have been tested at a recognized laboratory by RT-PCR/TruNat/CBNAAT/RAT.

The RT-PCRlCBNAATITruNat report will be valid only if they were tested within 72 hours of their arrival at the entry point.

RAT Negative report will be valid only if tested within 48 hours of their arrival at the entry point.

For those entrants who do not have a COVID-19-Negative report, testing at entry points is available at a cost fixed by the Meghalaya government.

Entrants can choose either Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) or RT-PCR.

Entrants coming with a COVID-19 Negative report but showing symptoms on arrival at the entry point will have to be mandatorily tested by RT-PCR.

Quarantine

All entrants with a negative RT-PCR/TruNat/CBNAAT report and not having any symptoms will be exempted from quarantine and can proceed with their daily activities normally.

All entrants tested by RT-PCR at the entry point should go into home quarantine or paid quarantine till the test results are declared.

The test results are usually available within 48 hours. If tested negative, which shall be communicated through an SMS or can be checked online at www.coronamegh.in, such individuals can carry on with their daily activities or work normally.

If tested positive, SOP for home or institutional isolation should be followed.

Entrants tested RAT Negative at the entry point or coming with RAT Negative certificate should undergo mandatory quarantine of 7 days. If tested positive, SOP for home or institutional isolation should be followed.

For short-term inbound and outbound movement

All asymptomatic persons going out of Meghalaya for a short duration of 5 (five) days or less shall, on return, be exempted from quarantine if tested RAT negative at entry.

They shall provide a valid travel document in the form of air/rail ticket or taxi voucher or any other evidence validating such travel. If tested positive, SOP for home or institutional isolation should be followed.

Visitors coming for a specific purpose (business, examinations, industry, work, personal distress, etc.) to the State of Meghalaya for a short duration of 5 days or less are exempted from quarantine on the production of a COVID-19 Negative RAT report from a recognised laboratory.

The report will be valid only if they were tested within 48 hours of their arrival at the entry point. Such individuals can attend to their purpose of visit and are restricted to limited movement only from the residence to their workplace.

In case the visit needs to be extended for more than 5 days, the visitors should mandatorily undergo RT-PCR/CBNAAT/TruNat test at their own expense in any of the recognised laboratories in the state on the 5th day and they will be allowed to carry on with their work only after the declaration of the test result.

It is pertinent to note that all entrants exempted from quarantine are to closely monitor their health for 10 days from the date of entry into the state.

Upon development of any symptoms of COVlD-19, such individuals should self-report to the nearest healthcare facility/ANM/ ASHA worker.

All entrants will be monitored on a regular basis through IVRS calls from the Health Department.

It is also mandatory that all entrants should diligently follow the three recommended practices of health at all times: wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and practising hand hygiene.

It may be mentioned here that this protocol supersedes the previous protocols vide No. Health. 74/2020/106 dated 20-5-2020 and No. Health. 10012020/63 dated 21-08-2020.

Protocol for Discharge of Asymptomatic/Mildly Symptomatic COVID-19 cases after the recommended home/institutional isolation of 10 days (i) Asymptomatic/mildly symptomatic cases (category A and B patients) under institutional or home isolation will be discharged after 10 days, provided that they do not have any fever without medication during the last 3 days (8Ih/9th/10th day) of the recommended isolation period. No testing is required before these patients are discharged.

After 10 days of isolation, these individuals are allowed to carry on with their work normally and they only need to self-monitor themselves for 7 days and report to the nearest healthcare facility/ANM/ASHA worker if any symptoms develop.

This protocol supersedes the previous protocol for asymptomatic/mildly symptomatic cases vide Health 94/2020/94 dated 23-09-2020 and Health. 94/2020/95 dated 30-09-2020.3.

Testing and discharge policy for High-Risk contacts

A person is identified as a high-risk contact if he/she came into direct contact with a COVID-19 positive person without wearing a mask and was exposed to the person for at least 15 minutes.

All high-risk contacts of a COVID-19 positive person are to be tested by RT -PCR on the 5th day since exposure.

High-risk contacts are to quarantine themselves as soon as they get to know about their exposure until their test results are declared.

If tested negative and asymptomatic, such individuals can carry on with their work as usual while monitoring themselves for any symptoms for the- next 10 days.

If tested positive, SOP for home or institutional isolation should be followed.

On completion of the isolation period, asymptomatic/ mildly symptomatic cases will follow the Protocol for the discharge of asymptomatic/mildly symptomatic COVID-19 cases mentioned above.

Hospitalised COVlD-19 cases will be discharged as per the current SOP.