As the fear of the new coronavirus variant Omicron has gripped the state, the Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that travellers from the “countries of concern” might have to face a mandatory quarantine rules.
The health minister said there was an urgent need to take precautions as the infection rate of Omicron was five times higher. The WHO claims that the new variant is spreading faster than the Delta variant.
Considering the seriousness, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the health department held a meeting with the state task force, district collector and concerned officials on Sunday, November 28. He also said that a lockdown could be imposed if rules are not implemented.
The countries of concern include South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Australia, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, UK, Israel, Hong Kong, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, Scotland along with some Middle Eastern countries.
Also Read: Amid fear of Omicron, Dombivli Man who returned from SA to under Genome Sequencing
“International passengers from these countries will be tested for RT-PCR twice in eight days. Moreover, those traveling at domestic airports will also be screened. While all the passengers coming to Maharashtra will have to carry a negative test report prior to 48 hours,” Tope added.
He further stated that since the government have not yet banned international flights. Therefore, there is a need to pay attention to follow the COVID-appropriate behaviour. “We have also written a letter to the Central Government urging to ban the flight from the countries of concern,” informed Rajesh Tope.
Also Read: Centre to review its decision on resuming international flights
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