The decision was made at a meeting held by Chief Minister Uddhav Thakeray in light of the situation in the UK. A variant of the coronavirus said to be 70% more transmissible is spreading at a rapid rate in parts of England
Stock image of Uddhav Thackeray. Image Courtesy: Twitter / @ OfficeOfUT
Mumbai: Ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebrations, the Maharashtra government declared a nightly curfew in municipal corporate areas on Monday from December 22 to January 5 as a precautionary measure amid growing concern about a new coronavirus
variant of spread in Great Britain.
According to an official statement, it has also been decided to compulsorily put in institutional quarantine for 14 days those who arrive at the state’s airports from Europe and West Asian countries.
The institutional quarantine of travelers from these countries will begin from the same Monday, he said.
Passengers from other countries to Maharashtra, the worst COVID-19 Affected state in the country will be quarantined, according to the statement.
The decisions were made after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray held a review meeting at his official Varsha residence in Mumbai in light of the situation in the UK. Thackeray has called on officials to ensure strict screening of international passengers, the statement said.
The decision has been made to impose a night curfew from tomorrow (December 22) at 11 pm onwards until 6 am in the municipal corporate areas (cities) of the state. “It will be in effect until January 5,” Thackeray said, according to the statement.
Additional precautions are being taken in the state due to the new variant of coronavirus and we must remain more vigilant for the next 15 days, he added.
Once passengers arriving from countries in Europe and Western Asia are placed in institutional quarantine, their RT-PCR test will take place on the fifth or seventh day, according to the statement. They will be allowed to return home only after their quarantine period is over, he said.
Thackeray instructed city commissioners to organize separate hotels and hospitals to quarantine passengers arriving at international airports in their respective jurisdictions.
The prime minister also gave instructions to organize separate hospitals for passengers coming from European countries and showing symptoms of the new coronavirus variant, the statement said.
He called on officials to provide personal protective equipment to all employees who control passengers arriving at airports in these countries.
Passengers coming from other countries will be quarantined and stamps will be placed on their hands, according to the statement.
Passengers, who have arrived from European countries and West Asia, will have to inform government authorities if they have traveled by air domestically, according to the statement.
There is growing concern about a new “out of control” variant of coronavirus extension COVID-19 at a much faster rate in some parts of England. The new variant is said to be 70 percent more transmissible than previous strains, although health experts say there is no evidence that it is more deadly or would react differently to vaccines.
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