Maharashtra: Mandatory 7-day quarantine for travelers from at-risk countries

On Tuesday, the Maharashtra government said in a statement, “The guidelines dated November 28, 2021 by the Government of India as well as future restrictions, if any, will serve as minimum restrictions to be imposed.”

Here are the rules announced by the Maharashtra government

• International passengers coming from at-risk countries can be de-boarded on priority basis and separate counters will be arranged by MIAL and airport authority for their screening. All such passengers will have to undergo mandatory 7-day institutional quarantine and RT-PCR test to be done on days 2, 4 and 7 for these passengers.
• If any of the tests are found positive, the passenger will be shifted to the hospital. In case all the tests come back negative, the passenger will have to undergo further home quarantine for 7 days.
• Passengers from countries other than at-risk countries will have to mandatorily undergo RT-PCR test at the airport on arrival and 14 days home quarantine if found negative. If found positive, they will be shifted to the hospital.
• In case of an international passenger having a connecting flight to another airport in India (without leaving the airport), the passenger will have to undergo an RT-PCR test at the first arrival airport in Maharashtra and only if found negative He will be allowed. To board the connecting flight. The information of such passengers shall be transmitted by the airline of the connecting flight to the destination airport prior to take off so that the destination airport can make arrangements for the separation of these passengers on arrival.
• If such a passenger is taking a connecting flight to an airport in Maharashtra, the passenger will be subject to the quarantine rules mentioned herein for direct disembarkation from an international source.
• In case of domestic air travel, passengers traveling within the state will either have to be fully vaccinated or mandatorily undergo RTPCR test within 48 hours of arrival. In case of passengers from other states, negative RTPCR test within 48 hours of arrival will be mandatory without exception.

“DCP Immigration and FRRO will draft a Proforma of Declaration to declare the details of countries traveled in the last 15 days for all passengers arriving on international flights. MIAL will share the proforma with all airlines and information regarding travel in the last 15 days will be cross-checked by Immigration on Arrival,” the statement reads. Incorrect information provided by passengers will lead to action under relevant sections of Disaster Management Act, 2005.

CSMIA to expedite testing

Meanwhile, Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) will intensify testing for international passengers from today. In addition, the airport said in a statement on Tuesday that passengers arriving from ‘high-risk’ countries would be quarantined from low-risk countries. This comes after the Maharashtra government yesterday issued stringent guidelines for air travel.

These new rules are applicable for passengers going to Mumbai:

• From today passengers arriving from high-risk countries will be segregated from those arriving from low-risk countries.
• Adequate RT-PCR testing facility has been made available in the form of 48 registration counters and 40 sampling booths in international arrivals. In addition to the normal RT-PCR, 30 rapid PCR machines are being made available for passengers connecting onward flights with shorter connecting times. “If needed, this facility will be further enhanced,” CSMIA said in a statement.
• For passengers who have not pre-booked the RT-PCR test online, QR codes have been displayed at various places in the arrival corridor. “Physical forms for RT-PCR registration have also been made available to passengers with the help of airlines, which they can fill before deboarding,” the airport said in a statement.
• The airport will also create a large seating area for passengers awaiting their RT-PCR results and has made active facilities like washroom, food and drink.

Meanwhile, six travelers from South Africa or other high-risk countries have tested positive for COVID-19, the state’s public health department said on Tuesday.

The Omnikron version of the COVID-19 virus has been detected in South Africa and some other countries and has been declared a type of concern by the World Health Organization. The Government of India has declared some countries as “at risk” countries.