Six passengers coming from ‘at risk’ countries test positive: Maharashtra

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Six passengers coming from ‘at risk’ countries test positive: Maharashtra (Image: Pixabay)
Six passengers coming from ‘at risk’ countries test positive: Maharashtra (Image: Pixabay)

Mumbai : Six international passengers coming from 'at risk' countries, including the ones which have confirmed cases of Omicron variant, have tested positive for coronavirus, said Maharashtra Health Department on Wednesday.

All six passengers are either asymptomatic or have mid symptoms; their samples have been sent for genome sequencing. Also contact tracing of the six passengers have been started.

Three of the six have been traced to the Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivali and Meera-Bhayandar areas, with the fourth traced to Pune. Two others - arrivals from Nigeria - have been traced to Pimpri-Chinchwad.

Starting from today, the airports have imposed strict testing and quarantine measures for the passengers coming from at risk nations.

As per the new rules mandatory tests for passengers has been announced and they cannot leave the airport without the results being declared. If test comes negative then also they will have to go under mandatory seven days of home quarantine.

Maharashtra has ordered mandatory seven-day institutional quarantine for all passengers from nations on the Health Ministry's 'at risk' list, which includes the United Kingdom and countries in mainland Europe, South Africa, Botswana, Brazil, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Israel, and New Zealand.

Two per cent (earlier five per cent) of those from countries other than those deemed 'at risk' will be given PCR tests on arrival; if these are negative, they will still have to home quarantine for two weeks.

A positive test, in either case, will see the passenger shifted to a hospital for treatment.

Further, all international passengers travelling to the state must submit a declaration listing the countries visited in the last 15 days, which will be cross-checked by immigration; incorrect information will make them liable for action under the Disaster Management Act

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday told the Parliament that India has not reported any confirmed case of Omicron yet.