Omicron scare: Seven-day home quarantine in Mumbai for Dubai passengers

Passengers arriving from Dubai will have to undergo home quarantine for seven days in Mumbai, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation said in an order on Friday.

While passengers from twelve “countries at risk” are required to undergo home quarantine as per central government directions, the Mumbai civic body extended the home quarantine for Dubai returnees to contain the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

Dubai is a hub for international travel and passengers take connecting flights from the city. There is a mixing of passengers at the Dubai airport, I S Chahal, the civic body’s chief said in the order.

As of Thursday, 88 persons have tested positive for the Omicron variant in Maharashtra, including 35 in Mumbai. The 35 cases in Mumbai include passengers from other districts, who were screened on arrival at the airport.

“All the travellers arriving from Dubai and who are residents of Mumbai will be in home quarantine. On the seventh day, RT PCR test will be done. If the test is negative, the traveler will self-monitor for further seven days. If the test is positive, they will be shifted to institutional quarantine as per the current guidelines for international travellers,” according to the order. The order has also laid down instructions for passengers transiting via Mumbai.