Mumbai on guard against new strain of Coronavirus

Mandatory institutional quarantine for passengers from UK, Europe and Middle East

geetanjali

Geetanjali Minhas | December 22, 2020 | Mumbai


#Covid-19   #Novel Coronavirus   #healthcare   #Maharashtra   #Mumbai   #BMC   #MCGM   #United Kingdom   #aviation  
Screening at airports (file photo)
Screening at airports (file photo)

As a new strain of the Novel Coronavirus, several times more contagious, has started spreading rapidly in the UK, India wasted no time in responding to the threat, as it suspended the flights from that country till the yearend. Maharashtra, among the most affected states, too has taken a slew of precautionary measures and re-imposed night curfew. Mumbai city too has made institutional quarantine mandatory for passengers from UK, Europe and Middle East.

The curfew, from 11 pm to 6 am, in urban areas of the state starts from Tuesday. On Sunday, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said wearing the mask was mandatory for next six months in the state.

With the distinct phylogenetic cluster of SARs-CoV-2 (called lineage 8.1.1.7) having being detected and spreading rapidly in the UK, India has suspended all flights originating there from the midnight of December 22 till the midnight of December 31.

Issuing directives under the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 and The Disaster Management Act 2005, the municipal corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) on Tuesday issued guidelines for all international passengers arriving from the UK directly or through indirect flights and those arriving from Middle East and European countries at Mumbai International Airport. These passengers will have to undergo mandatory institutional quarantine at their own cost in the nearby hotels for seven days.

As per the guidelines issued by municipal commissioner, Iqbal Singh Chahal, if passengers arriving from the UK are found symptomatic on arrival, they will be directly shifted to the Seven Hills Hospital for further evaluation and treatment. Those arriving from Middle East and European countries, if found symptomatic, will be directly shifted to GT Hospital, Fort, for evaluation and treatment.  

While no RT-PCR test will be conducted on arrival of passengers from the UK, Europe and Middle East, between day 5 and day 7, these passengers will have to go through an RT-PCR test at the hotel at their own cost. If the test report is found negative, the passenger will be discharged from the institutional quarantine but will have to be under mandatory home quarantine for seven days.

Those testing positive and symptomatic will continue to be under quarantine in the same hotel or in a Covid-19 Hospital for 14 days. Private laboratories are being linked to quarantine hotels for testing of arriving passengers. The collector of Mumbai Suburban district will be in charge of monitoring of operations and accordingly depute suitable teams.

All passengers will be required to deposit their passports with the hotel during the quarantine period and will receive the same back at the time of discharge. BEST will transport all passengers coming from the UK by direct or indirect flights to hotels. PPE kits are being provided to Mumbai airport employees and immigration officers.

An estimated 800 rooms have been set aside from Monday for passengers arriving from the UK and almost 4,000 rooms on a daily basis will be needed for those arriving from Middle East and Europe. The charges will be borne by the passengers.  

“Irrespective of their further plans government guidelines will have to be followed by all passengers arriving at Mumbai International Airport from UK, Europe and the Middle East,” says the order.
 

Comments

 

Other News

How to leverage AI to solve urgent global issues

The world seems to be hurling towards World War III in all the possible scenarios: hot war, cold war, and proxy war. The battleground seems to have expanded beyond physical to digital or virtual/mixed reality with technology like drones. Moreover, the line between civilian and military targets seems to hav

Budget: Progress towards SDGs and areas for improvement

The Union Budget 2025-26 outlines India`s vision for economic and social growth while also reflecting the country`s commitment to sustainable development. As India moves closer to the 2030 deadline for the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this budget presents a balanced approach

Repo rate cut by 25 basis points to 6.25%

The Reserve Bank of India has, for the first time in five years, reduced the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) by 25 basis points to 6.25% with immediate effect. Consequently, the standing deposit facility (SDF) rate will stand adjusted to 6.00% and the marginal

Amitav Ghosh’s new work: Connections between the word and the world

Wild Fictions: Essays By Amitav Ghosh HarperCollins, 496 pages, Rs 799.00 Amitav Ghosh, one of a handful of Ind

How markets can help (and also hinder) fight against pollution

In the annals of environmental policy, few ideas have been as transformative as the Emissions Trading System (ETS). Born from the minds of economists in the late 1960s, this market-based approach to pollution control has evolved from a theoretical concept to a global tool in the fight against climate chang

Will Bihar complement the resolution of Viksit Bharat 2047?

As India completes its diamond jubilee as a republic, I am reminded of a statement by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, delivered during an address to the Bihar Chamber of Commerce in Patna on March 28, 2006. He said, “I have visited Bihar numerous times, and it has always been a source of happiness for me to

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now



Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter