Six passengers returning from 'high-risk' countries test positive in Maharashtra

Mumbai: Six passengers who arrived from South Africa or other high-risk countries have tested positive for COVID-19, the state's public health department said on Tuesday.

The department said that one case each has been reported from Mumbai Corporation, Kalyan the Dombivali Corporation, Meera-Bhayandar Corporation and from Pune while two cases from Nigeria were reported from the Pimpri-Chinchwad corporation.

The Department further said that the passengers are either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic.

"All the samples have been sent for genomic sequencing and their contact tracing exercise is underway. All these passengers, though tested Covid-19 positive, are either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic," according to the state's Public Health Department.

Meanwhile, the state government also made institutional quarantine mandatory for passengers coming to the state from countries "at-risk" and also RT-PCR mandatory irrespective of vaccination status for those coming from other states.

"Consequently, in order to restrict the transmission of the said virus variant into the State, in exercise of the powers conferred under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, Chairperson of the State Executive Committee of the State Disaster Management Authority has declared with immediate effect, the restrictions on air travel into the state. The restrictions imposed by the Government of India guidelines dated November 28, 2021 as well as future restrictions if any, shall act as minimum restrictions to be imposed," the order copy read.

DCP immigration and Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) to draft a proforma of declaration for all arriving passengers on international flights to declare details of the countries visited in the last 15 days.

The international passengers arriving from at-risk countries (declared by the Government of India from time to time) may be deplaned on priority and separate counters will be arranged by MIAL and Airport Authority for their checking. All such passengers shall have to undergo mandatory seven-day institutional quarantine and RT-PCR test to be carried out on days 2, 4 and 7 for these passengers.

The order copy read, "If any of the tests is found to be positive, then the passenger shall be shifted to a hospital. In case of all tests coming negative, the passenger will have to undergo a further seven days of home quarantine."

Passengers from any other countries except the at-risk countries will have to compulsorily undergo RT-PCR test at the airport on arrival and on being found negative, will have to undergo 14 days of home quarantine. If found positive, they will be shifted to the hospital.

In case of an international passenger having a connecting flight to any other airport in India (without leaving the airport at all), passenger shall undergo an RT-PCR test at the first arrival airport in Maharashtra and only on being found negative will he be allowed to board the connecting flight. Information about such passengers shall be passed on by the airline of the connecting flight to the destination airport before take-off so that the destination airport can make arrangements for segregating these passengers on arrival.

In case such a passenger is taking a connecting flight to an airport in Maharashtra, the passenger shall be subjected to quarantine rules mentioned herein for landing directly from an international source.

In the case of domestic air travel, passengers travelling within the State will either have to be fully vaccinated or compulsorily carry an RT-PCR test within 48 hours of the time of arrival. In case of passengers from other States, negative RT-PCR test within 48 hours of arrival will be compulsory without exceptions.

On the other hand, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation  (BMC) has postponed the reopening of schools for classes 1 to 7 till December 15. The reopening of schools in Pune for Standard 1 to 7 has also been postponed till December 15, according to the Pune Municipal Corporation.