MUMBAI : Passengers arriving from Europe, South Africa and the Middle-East will not be subjected to RT- PCR test for coronavirus immediately upon arrival, the Maharashtra government said in a fresh circular on Thursday. The circular amended the Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) issued for dealing with passengers arriving from these regions on December 21 following the detection of a new variant of coronavirus in the UK. Seven-day institutional quarantine has been made mandatory for asymptomatic passengers arriving from Europe, South Africa and the Middle-East. The circular said that no RT-PCR test will be conducted on arrival for asymptomatic passengers. If the result is positive but the patient is still asymptomatic, he or she will stay in institutional quarantine at the same hotel or at COVID-19 hospital for 14 days, the circular said.

Source: Mint December 24, 2020 11:48 UTC