Covid-19: Maharashtra says passengers flying into state must go into 14-day home isolation
On Sunday, the Maharashtra government had said that only 25 flights will be allowed to land and take off from the Mumbai airport.
by Scroll StaffThe Maharashtra government on Monday announced a set of rules for passengers flying in to any airport in the state, NDTV reported. Limited domestic flights resumed all over the country from Monday, as India slowly emerges out of a months-long nationwide lockdown imposed to control the spread of the novel coronavirus.
On Sunday, the Maharashtra government had said that only 25 flights will be allowed to land and take off from Mumbai airport from Monday.
Early on Monday, the state said passengers must go into 14-day home quarantine after landing at any airport in Maharashtra. All passengers will be stamped on their left hand to show that they are meant to remain in home isolation. However, the state government added: “Passengers who are coming to the state for less than one week will be exempt from home isolation.” Also, local officials will be empowered to provide exceptions to the home quarantine rule for reasons of urgent work.
The passengers must declare that they are not flying in from a containment zone, and do not have any symptoms of Covid-19, the government said.
The government added that the passengers will also be required to declare that they have not tested positive for the virus in the last two months, and are not under quarantine. Anyone violating these conditions will face strict action.
According to the new rules, airlines and airports will have to undertake thermal screening of passengers, and follow physical distancing norms at all times. All passengers, crew and other staff will have to wear masks and follow sanitation rules, the guidelines said.
“Passengers will not be allowed into containment zones of hotspot areas,” the order said. “Authorities need to be informed of where a passenger is staying if other than their homes.” It added that passengers can take their own private vehicles from the airport to their place of residence.
The Shiv Sena-led state government had opposed the Centre’s decision to resume air travel from Monday, given the huge number of cases in the state. Maharashtra is the most affected state in India by far, with over 50,000 infections and more than 1,600 deaths as of Monday evening.