Everything You Need To Know About Travel, Driving, E-Passes, and More

India has long been under the shadow of COVID-19, due to which people have uncontrollably wanted to go out of their houses for a road trip or local travel by road. With the increasing number of Omicron variant cases in India, many state governments have imposed partial curfews and lockdowns in their territories. The Indian government has set strict travel restrictions for air travel, train travel, and road travel. Although, you are free to travel by road from one state to another, because of night curfews, you need to plan your road travel in the daytime. So before travelling, you need to know about night curfews and partial lockdown schedules, travel guidelines, driving allowances, and how to get an e-pass. 

Imposed night curfews or partial lockdown schedules

Almost all states and union territories have imposed night curfews or partial lockdowns in order to take precautionary measures. Generally, you are free to travel interstate by driving your private automobile as long as you are wearing a mask, even while driving the car. However, public transport like buses, trains, autorickshaws, and taxi services has been limited to 50% occupancy in some states. The following is the current schedule of night curfews, which is subject to change, so please read the guidelines before travelling.

• Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry-11 PM to 5 AM 

• Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Odisha, Tripura- 9 PM to 5 AM

• Assam, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh- 10 PM to 6 AM

• Bihar, Chandigarh, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya- 10 PM to 5 AM

• Manipur and Mizoram- 9 PM to 4 AM

• Meghalaya- 9 PM to 4 AM 

• Nagaland- 10 PM to 4 AM 

• Karnataka- Friday 10 PM to Monday 5 AM

• Punjab and Ladakh- Friday 10 PM to Monday 5 AM

• Rajasthan- 11 PM to 5 AM and a weekend curfew

• Tamil Nadu- 10 PM to 5 AM and lockdown on Sundays

• Delhi- 10 PM to 5 AM and weekend curfews

• Jammu, Kashmir, Lakshadweep- 9 PM to 6 AM 

Travel by Road: Guidelines and Tips

1. Always wear a face mask when you are out of your house.

2. Keep hand sanitizer in your personal vehicle.

3. It is mandatory to show a negative RT-PCR test. You can also produce your double vaccination certificate.

4. Plan your entire road trip in advance. Mark all the places where you'd make a stop, like restaurants, rest house, gas stations, etc.

5. Store bottles of drinking water in your car to stay hydrated along the way.

6. Build an emergency kit and a coronavirus kit and place them in your automobile.

7. Along with your check-up, make sure your car's health is good too.

How to get an e-pass?

If you need to travel interstate during the lockdown or curfew period, you will need permission from the District Magistrate stating the reason for such travel. Currently, few states have made this mandatory.

You will need an e-pass for Delhi, Kerela – https://pass.bsafe.kerala.gov.in/ and Tamil Nadu -  https://eregister.tnega.org

Go out only if it is necessary. To stay safe during COVID, be a traveller and not a wanderer.