Omicron: Around 1,000 travelers from South Africa landed in India since Nov 10

Amid the threat of the Omicron variant, Maharashtra Tourism and Environment Minister Aditya Thackeray on Monday revealed that since November 10, around 1,000 travellers from South Africa have landed in Mumbai.

“We’ve got information on the people who have arrived, thus far. Those who are in Mumbai are being contacted and the BMC is inquiring about their health status. Arrangements are being made for institutional isolation,” he revealed, after a meeting with Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation officials.

Aditya has raised concerns over the threat posed by the Omicron variant and reiterated that the BMC has been actively contacting and inquiring after passengers who have arrived in the city since November 10. It has also been contacting and inquiring about arrivals in the city from other countries too.

The statement comes in the wake of the Centre issuing updated guidelines, whereby all travellers entering India from countries identified as ‘countries at-risk, regardless of their Covid-19 vaccination status will have to mandatorily undergo Covid testing at the airport on arrival, on top of the Covid testing they would have undergone 72 hours prior to departure.

The Maharashtra minister’s statement came hours after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray expressed concern at a cabinet meeting over tracking those international passengers who had not landed directly in Mumbai but were likely to enter the state through other routes.