All international passengers travelling to the Indian state of Mumbai from Dubai are required to undergo a mandatory seven-day home quarantine.

According to an announcement made by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday, international arrivals residing in other parts of Maharashtra will not be allowed to take public transport and they will be given special vehicles by the authorities. 

This decision has been in view of the rising cases of the Omicron COVID-19 variant in the Indian state. The total Omicron tally in Maharashtra crossed 100 last week. 

Earlier, India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) also issued fresh safety guidelines for domestic and international passengers travelling to Delhi in view of the surging COVID-19 infections across the world. 

The ministry had also called on all international and domestic passengers to be informed about the various safety and quarantine guidelines in different states before planning their trip. 

As per the guidelines, all passengers will have to undergo thermal screening on arrival. In addition, random sample collection will be carried out for those passengers arriving from states witnessing a rise in COVID-19 cases. The authorities noted that people will only be allowed to exit the airport after sample collection.

“If you are travelling on a connecting flight and not leaving the airport in a transit station, then please refer to the detailed guidelines of the respective final destination arrival state,” the ministry added. 

Furthermore, passengers who test positive for the COVID-19 virus will have to undergo 10-day quarantine at either home, COVID-19 care centres, community health centres or designated hospitals.