A Mumbai airport official has said that a total of 120 domestic passengers arriving at the city’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport underwent RT-PCR tests on November 25, adding that none of the passengers tested positive for the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
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“A total of 120 domestic arriving passengers underwent an RT-PCR test at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on November 25. No passenger tested positive, ”the ANI news agency said, citing the Airport Public Relations Officer (PRO).
On Monday, the Maharashtra government made a negative RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) test report mandatory for passengers arriving in the state from Delhi, Gujarat, Goa and Rajasthan amid a rapid increase of Covid-19 cases there, from November 25 onwards. According to the order, passengers arriving on flights should have tested negative 72 hours before the scheduled landing in Maharashtra, while for those arriving on trains, the corresponding duration was 96 hours.
Read also | Maharashtra makes Covid-19 testing mandatory for air passengers traveling from Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Goa
Those who do not bring their test reports will undergo RT-PCR testing upon arrival at airports or train stations, depending on the order. In addition, he said that passengers with negative results would be allowed to leave the airport / train station, while those who tested positive would be sent to Covid Care Centers (CCC), but they will have to bear the cost themselves.
Read also | Starting today, travelers from remote stations will be screened by the Mumbai civic body
“The Airports Authority of India is requested to verify the report before allowing passengers to board the flight,” the Maharashtra government order said.
Maharashtra has the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the country, almost double that of the next most affected state, Karnataka. The state registered a total of 6,159 new cases on Wednesday, bringing its count of cases due to the disease to 1,795,959, according to a government health bulletin. Meanwhile, the count in the state capital of Mumbai, one of the hardest-hit cities, reached 278,590 with 1,144 new cases on Wednesday.
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