In Mumbai, Covid RT-PCR Testing Mandatory For All International Passengers
Mumbai:
All international passengers landing in Mumbai will now be required to take a rapid Covid RT-PCR test, said a new set of guidelines released Tuesday night, as the state has more than 18,000 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, 50% higher than Monday.
Those who test positive will then have to have a routine Covid RT-PCR test at the airport.
Mumbai recorded 10,086 new cases, up 34% from the cases registered the day before. The new increase in cases in the city and across Maharashtra, attributed to the new variant – Omicron, prompts governments worldwide to introduce new measures in the fight against Covid.
The city’s civil service said in an official statement to check the spread of the virus, “enhanced surveillance for international travelers, contact tracing of people who are positive, tracing in 14 days and genome sequencing of the positive samples”.
International passengers who test negative for Covid will be allowed to leave, but they will have to self-isolate at home for a week.
Across Maharashtra, nearly four thousand people are currently under home isolation, according to the latest state bulletin.
The new guidance says that for those who test positive, a “quarantine agency” will be arranged.
All symptomatic patients will be admitted to Seven Hill Hospital.
For those who choose a private hospital, admission will be arranged at Bombay Hospital or Breach Candy Hospital.
Those without symptoms will be isolated at BKC Facility or Kanjumarg Jumbo.
Patients will also have the option of isolating themselves in a “private facility” or a hotel.
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