A negative RT-PCR report and certificate of Covid-19 vaccination will be mandatory for pilgrims headed to the Kartarpur Sahib corridor that leads to the most revered shrines of Sikhs located in Pakistan. The corridor, which will be re-opened on Wednesday, links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district.
Speaking to News18, Aamer Ahmed, Chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board that looks after the Gurdwara, said Covid-19 protocol applicable to the rest of the country will be in effect for the Kartarpur Corridor pilgrimage as well.
He said pilgrims will have to undergo temperature checks and anyone with Covid-19 symptoms will be moved to isolation. The RT-PCR certificate should not be older than 72 hours. Mask rules and social distancing will be followed throughout the pilgrimage and sanitization stations will be in place.
Ahmed added no Covid-19 test would be conducted on arrival at the Gurdwara.
The announcement to restart the pilgrimage that was suspended since March 2020 following the Covid-19 outbreak came three days before the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev on Friday.
India signed the Kartarpur corridor agreement with Pakistan on October 24, 2019. Under the pact, Indian pilgrims of all faiths are allowed to undertake round the year visa-free travel through the 4.5-km-long passage. In November 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the dedicated corridor.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his wife Gursharan Kaur, the then Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Union minister Hardeep Puri were part of the first group that visited the gurudwara in Pakistan in November 2019 through the corridor.
Former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, his son and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal and the then Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal were also part of the delegation led by Akal Takht Jathedar Harpreet Singh.
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