Omicron scare: BMC mandates 7-day home quarantine for passengers from at risk countries

Mumbai, Dec 04: The Mumbai civic body (BMC) has mandated seven-day home quarantine of people arriving in the city from high-risk countries amid global concerns over the Omicron variant of coronavirus.

The BMC issued this order on Friday as Mumbai international airport caters to thousands of travellers on a daily basis.

The civic body's order said that with the coordination of the airport authorities, the BMC will everyday receive a list of passengers, who arrive from the countries defined as "high-risk" or "at risk".
The list will also include the detailed address and contact numbers of these travellers.

"The BMC will get the list at 10 am daily, after which its staff will contact the passengers to inform them to remain home quarantined for the next seven days. Adherence to the home quarantine order is mandatory and the passengers will be shifted to government-run institutions if they are found violatingit," it said.

"An RT-PCR test will be conducted after seven days and necessary steps will be taken accordingly," the order added. The Omicron strain, first detected in South Africa, has been classified as a 'variant of concern' by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The first cases of Omicron variant in India have been confirmed in two individuals in Karnataka.