To adhere to the recent Central Government’s guidelines on Omicron, Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) have improved the testing facilities. The authorities have established new 100 registration counters and 60 sampling booths at the airport. They also added 100 rapid RT-PCR testing machines.
In a relief to the passengers, rapid RT-PCR now costs Rs 3900 instead of the old rate of Rs 4500. Normal/standard RT-PCR test costs Rs 600 at CSMIA.
Omicron scare: Guidelines to follow at Mumbai airport
International passengers from ‘at-risk countries -- United Kingdom, Singapore, South Africa, Hong Kong, Botswana, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, China, Brazil, Israel and Mauritius – have to undergo mandatory testing. After the test, they have to wait at the airport until the result arrives before taking another connecting flight or leaving the airport. The authorities will shift the passengers whose RT-PCR test results come as positive to a designated isolation facility or hospital.
The passengers who have visited those as mentioned above ‘at-risk countries during the last 15 days must also undergo the testing. The people who are found to be negative have to sit for quarantine for a week, after which the next test should be taken. The passengers who are negative on the eighth-day testing should further sit for quarantine for a week.
Travellers from countries other than the ‘at-risk countries are allowed to leave the airport but shall self-monitor the next 14 days post-arrival.
The authorities will also conduct the test on random passengers (2% of the total passengers) on arrival at the airport.
The domestic travellers should be double vaccinated and carry a negative RT-PCR test report carried out within 72 days before boarding from Mumbai airport.
Children under the age of two are generally exempted from taking the test. However, if they are showing the symptoms of COVID-19, authorities will take them up for testing.
According to the authorities at the airport, a total of 6,732 international passengers arrived at Mumbai airport within three days (December 1-3). A total of 969 international passengers took RT-PCR tests, of which 214 passengers took the standard RT-PCR test, and 755 passengers opted for Rapid PCR test.
