Over 1,500 landed in Mumbai from UK, other countries since Tuesday; none found infected yet

Of 1,688 passengers who arrived in Mumbai recently, 745 have been quarantined in private hotels across the city.

Two days after the state government announced new rules for flight passengers arriving from the United Kingdom, Europe and the Middle East, about 1,688 passengers have landed in Mumbai since Tuesday. Since no Covid-19 tests are being conducted for asymptomatic passengers at airports, none have been found to be infected with the virus so far. Senior civic officials have confirmed that passengers with Covid-19 symptoms have not been identified.

File photo: Passengers wearing protective face masks leave upon arrival at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. (REUTERS)

Of 1,688 passengers, 745 have been quarantined in private hotels across the city arranged by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). A senior BMC official confirmed that no symptomatic passengers have been found so far.

He said, “None of the passengers are going through Covid-19 tests at the airport and will only be tested during their time in quarantine. The ones that are being quarantined in Mumbai will go through RT-PCR test on the 5th and 7th day of their stay. If they test positive, they will be immediately shifted to one of the municipal Covid centres.”

According to the BMC data, 745 passengers, of the 1,688, have been quarantined in private hotels in Mumbai, whereas 602 had connecting flights to other states and have been sent there. The rest 339 are from other countries that have been stamped on their hands for home quarantine.

The BMC had announced on Monday that flight passengers from the United Kingdom, Europe and Middle Eastern countries will compulsorily be quarantined for seven days after they land in Mumbai. Their stay may increase to another seven days if they test positive for Covid-19.

As per BMC’s protocols, all symptomatic passengers from the UK will be shifted to Seven Hills Hospital at Andheri and the ones from Europe and Middle East countries will be moved to GT Hospital at Fort directly from the airport. Passengers that don’t show any symptoms will be quarantined at hotels. The passport of the passengers will be deposited at the hotels and can be retrieved when they are discharged from the quarantine.