All international passengers landing in Mumbai will now be asked to take a rapid RT-PCR Covid test, say a set of fresh guidelines released Tuesday night, as the state recorded over 18,000 fresh coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, 50 per cent higher than Monday.
Those who test positive will then have to take a routine RT-PCR Covid test at the airport.
Mumbai logged 10,086 fresh cases in a 34 per cent jump from the cases registered the previous day. The fresh uptick in cases in the city, and across Maharashtra, is said to be driven by the new variant - Omicron, also prompting the governments worldwide to introduce new measures in the fight against Covid.
To check the spread of the virus, "enhanced surveillance of international travelers, contact tracing of positive individuals, follow up for 14 days and genome sequencing of positive samples," will be carried out, the city's civic body said in an official statement.
The international passengers, who test negative after taking the Covid test, will be allowed to leave but they will have to stay in home quarantine for a week.
Across Maharashtra, nearly four lakh people are currently in home quarantine, according to the state's latest bulletin.
For those testing positive, "institutional quarantine" will be arranged, the new guidelines say.
All symptomatic patients will be admitted at Seven Hill Hospital.
For those who choose private hospitals, admissions will be arranged at the Bombay Hospital or the Breach Candy Hospital.
Those having no symptoms will be isolated at the BKC or Kanjumarg Jumbo Facility.
The patients will also have a choice to isolate themselves at a "private facility" or a hotel.
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