New quarantine rules in Mumbai for passengers arriving from the UK, Europe, South Africa, the Middle East; check details

Mumbai authorities have decided to amend the mandatory institutional quarantine rules for passengers arriving at Mumbai International Airport from the UK, South Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Under the new guidelines issued by the Greater Mumbai Municipal Corporation, travelers will be kept in institutional quarantine upon arrival and RT-PCR tests will be performed only on the seventh day later at the hotel or institution where they are staying at their expense. . If the test reports are negative, they will be allowed to leave the quarantine facility on the condition of seven days of mandatory home quarantine. Returnees will receive the ‘home quarantine’ stamp and must present a commitment to comply with the guidelines.

If a returnee from the UK tests positive, that person will be transferred to Seven Hills Hospital. The GT Hospital has been assigned for Covid-19 positive returnees from other countries.

Previously, BMC’s mandatory 14-day quarantine guidelines suggested symptomatic UK passengers be sent to hospital for further investigation and review. Passengers from other countries such as Southeast Asia and the United States will not be sent to institutional quarantine, however, they will be sealed for 14 days of home quarantine by the airport authorities as a precautionary measure.

Institutional quarantine guidelines are exempt for officials working in the foreign embassy and the Office of the General Counsel. Officials working at the embassy applying for the exemption will be required to adhere to the Vande Bharat Mission guidelines.

The Maharashtra government also imposed a seven-hour night curfew on Maharashtra cities starting on December 22 for the next 15 days as a precautionary measure.

The new mutant strain of coronavirus found in the UK has forced Boris Johnson to announce another shutdown before Christmas. Several countries have imposed restrictions on flights from the UK and other European countries and South Africa.