7-day home quarantine must for Dubai passengers arriving in Mumbai as Omicron cases breach 100 mark in Maha

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With the tally of Omicron cases in Maharashtra breaching the 100 mark on Friday, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai has issued an order making it mandatory for Mumbai residents arriving from Dubai to undergo a seven-day home quarantine with an RT-PCR test on the seventh day.

The travelers who live in other parts of Maharashtra will be able to leave Mumbai on arrival from Dubai, but their transport will be arranged by the collector, it said. In the order issued by BMC on Friday, the travellers who are residents of Mumbai and returning from Dubai also need to take a mandatory RT-PCR test on Day 7. If the result is positive, the traveller will be shifted to an institutional quarantine as per the current guidelines for international travellers.

The order further stated that travellers coming from other parts of Maharashtra will not be allowed to take public transport. They will be transferred by the Collector who will arrange transport for such travellers. Meanwhile, in the wake of expected crowding at the time of upcoming festivals amid Omicron variant threat, the Maharashtra government on Friday issued new Covid-19 guidelines prohibiting gathering of more than five persons in public places from 9 pm-6 am, among other such measures, applicable from the intervening night of December 24-25.

"Gathering of more than five persons in public places across the state prohibited from 9 pm-6 am, only 100 people allowed in indoor weddings and not more than 250 in outdoor weddings," read the order. The number of attendees in a closed hall for a wedding ceremony should not be more than 100 at a time and in open space, this number should not be more than 250 or 25 per cent of the capacity of this space whichever is less.

For other social, political, religious events also the number of attendees should not be more than 100 and in open space, this number should not be more than 250 or 25 per cent of the capacity of this space whichever is less. For events other than the above two events, in confined spaces where the seating capacity is not more than 50 per cent of the capacity and where the seating capacity is not fixed, the attendance will be 25 per cent. In all such events, if they are held in open space, the attendance will not be more than 25 per cent of the seating capacity.

Attendance for sports competitions, sports ceremonies shall not exceed 25 per cent of the seating capacity of the venue. "Restaurants, gyms, spas, cinemas, theatres will have 50 per cent capacity attendance. All of them will have to declare their full potential as well as 50 per cent capacity," said the release. Maharashtra government also released Christmas specific guidelines to be observed to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

"People will be allowed to attend church up to 50 per cent of the available seating capacity in the church for Christmas. Special care should be taken to ensure that the church is not crowded in any way and that Social Distancing is maintained and that masks and sanitisers are used. Disinfection should also be arranged in the church," said the release. India has reported more than 350 cases of Omicron so far.

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