The BMC has stopped random testing at railway stations, beaches, markets and crowded places. This has led to a drop in daily tests by 10,000. The move followed Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) announcement of new rules on January 10, saying random testing is not required.
 
The ICMR guidelines added that it was not necessary to test the contacts of positive patients unless they are high-risk based on age and comorbidity. Even the interstate domestic passengers have been excluded from the mandatory testing list. People who complete quarantine and are discharged from hospitals also do not need to be tested again.

However, the secretary of the Maharashtra unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) said there is a need to test and find asymptomatic patients, who otherwise could become the silent carriers of the virus.