Amid fears of a new, fast-spreading coronavirus strain detected in the United Kingdom (UK), the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Sunday issued revised guidelines to ensure compulsory quarantine for 14 days for all passengers arriving from the UK, Europe, and the Middle East.
As per the amended Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), travellers will be kept under institutional quarantine after arrival and RT-PCR test will be conducted on the seventh day from the arrival at the respective hotels, institutional facilities at their own cost. "If the report of the test is found negative, the passenger would be discharged from the institutional quarantine after seven days with the advice of seven days mandatory home quarantine. A total of 14 days quarantine is to be ensured," the BMC said in a release.
However, institutional quarantine is exempted for officials working in foreign embassies and in offices of counsel general. The guidelines under the "Vande Bharat Mission" for officials working in embassy will have to be followed for the application for exemption, it said.
Meanwhile, the BMC has released details of quarantined passengers arrived from Europe and Middle East (as of December 26). According to it, a total of 868 passengers have arrived in the city on 11 flights. Of the 868 passengers, 477 are quarantined in Mumbai and 385 are sent to other states. Besides, six passengers have been exempted from quarantine, the BMC said.
On Sunday, Mumbai city reported 578 fresh coronavirus positive cases, taking the cumulative caseload to 2,90,914, while the death toll rose by eight to 11,076.
Mumbai division, which comprises Mumbai city and its satellite towns, added 1,050 fresh COVID-19 cases and 14 fatalities. With this, the overall case tally in the Mumbai division reached 6,56,557 while the fatality count is 19,021, the statement said.
(With PTI inputs)
