Rule for those coming from at-risk nations; domestic fliers irate after being told of new COVID rules
Passengers leave Mumbai airport on Tuesday. Pic/Sameer Markande
After the state government made institutional quarantine mandatory for passengers from ‘at-risk’ countries, the BMC allowed a two-day window, saying many have already started their journey. The quarantine will begin at 11.59 pm today, Thursday. Meanwhile, domestic fliers who arrived on Wednesday said there was confusion among passengers while boarding the flight due to Maharashtra’s revised COVID-19 test guidelines.
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The state government’s new rules for domestic fliers created a lot of confusion, said passengers who arrived at the Mumbai airport on Wednesday. Amid the fear of Omicron, the new Coronavirus variant, a negative RT-PCR test has been made mandatory for anyone travelling to the city from other states.
People queue up at the check-in counter, at Mumbai international airport. File pic/Satej Shinde
Many passengers took to social media platforms to express their anger, claiming that there was no clarity. Sources from the airport told mid-day that for now, some people with double vaccination certificates were allowed to leave the airport.
Sanjay Patil, who arrived from New Delhi on Wednesday, told mid-day, “I heard about the new rules when I landed in Mumbai, but my experience so far was good.
They checked my double vaccination certificate and let me leave. In order to prevent any confusion, the concerned agencies should update the latest developments on their websites and also on their social media handles.”
Passengers wait to enter the Mumbai international airport, on November 30. Pic/Sameer Markande
However, a group of four people who arrived from Kolkata said, “There was a lot of confusion among many travellers coming to Mumbai because of the Maharashtra government’s new rule. Thankfully, we already had RT-PCR test results for our trip abroad early on Thursday.” A negative RT-PCR test is also mandatory for travellers taking a connecting flight from Mumbai.
A Twitter user, Akshay Patil, posted, “Fully Vaccinated, PCR negative before boarding and after arrival, still 7 days of institutional quarantine??? How idiotic. New way of extortion??#BMC #Mumbaiairport #OmicronVariant #CSMIA.”
Another user, Ayush Shrivastava tweeted, “@CMOMaharashtra @AUThackeray @PMOIndia @JM_Scindia, Can you please explain why there are different regulations for international passengers arriving to Mumbai airport and need to do the 7 day institutional quarantine?? Except Maharashtra no other state had implemented such rules.”
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) stated that domestic passengers travelling within Maharashtra either need a full vaccination certificate or should have a negative report of RT-PCR test conducted within 72 hours of arrival.
For travellers arriving at Mumbai airport from other states, a negative report of RT-PCR test conducted within 72 hours of arrival is mandatory, irrespective of their vaccination status.
The CSMIA has directed the domestic airlines to not board passengers for landing in Mumbai without a negative RT-PCR test report. In exceptional cases, like family distress, testing may be allowed on arrival.
Institutional quarantine begins from tonight
After the state government made institutional quara-ntine mandatory for fliers from ‘at-risk’ nations, the BMC gave them a two-day window. It will begin at 11.59 pm on December 2. “Several passengers have already finalised their travel plans and are on the move, and many might not be aware of the recent guidelines. To avoid major inconveniences, a window of two days is to be given,” said a civic official.
Passengers arriving from ‘countries at risk’ have to undergo institutional quarantine for a week and take RT-PCR tests on the 2nd, 4th and 7th days post-arrival. As per an updated list, the European nations, the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel have been designated ‘at-risk’ countries. Fliers from other nations shall undergo home quarantine for 14 days if tested negative.
“At present, international fliers arriving in Mumbai have to undergo rapid antigen test and if the results are negative, they are being allowed to go home,” said a source.
- A Correspondent
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