In light of the new coronavirus illness (COVID-19) strain that has been detected in the United Kingdom (UK), the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra state government on Thursday issued an order to consist of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for international passengers arriving from Europe, South Africa, and the Middle East.
A government order on this day detailed the extension of the SOPs ‘Mission Begin Again’ and stated that flights coming via the airports of Europe, South Africa, and Middle East shall be monitored “with immediate effect”.
In addition to the earlier guidelines, the new addendum modifies a particular protocol for passengers coming in through flights from Europe, South Africa, and Middle-East.
According to the new order, asymptomatic passengers who have arrived in the aforementioned flights will not be expected to instantly undergo an RT-PCR test. Instead, they will now be taken to a “paid institutional quarantine facility (hotel)”.
However, RT-PCR test will be performed among the fifth to the seventh day at the hotels, the price of which will have to be borne by the quarantined passengers, the order states.
“If the report is found to be negative, the concerned passengers would be discharged from the institutional quarantine with seven days of mandatory home quarantine. If the test result is found positive, but the patient is asymptomatic, then he/she will be required to continue the institutional quarantine in the same hotel or in the COVID-19 hospital till 14 days,” the order added.