If you are flying into Mumbai and are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, then you may be able to skip the quarantine.
A new order issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) now exempts vaccinated passengers travelling into Mumbai from Europe, United Kingdom, Middle East, South Africa and Brazil from the week-long institutional quarantine on arrival.
Note that this exemption has been granted by the Mumbai civic authorities, and does not apply by default to passengers arriving at other airports in the state or the country.
Apart from the vaccinated travellers, the new norms provide an exemption from quarantine to six other categories of people:
- Travellers above the age of 65
- Women in an advanced stage of pregnancy
- Passengers with serious illnesses that require immediate medical attention (cancer, cerebral palsy, severe physical disabilities, mental illnesses)
- Parents travelling with children below the age of five
- Passengers facing extreme family distress, like an immediate family member in critical condition or a serious accident or death in immediate family
- Medical professionals travelling for life-saving surgery or to attend to patients in a critical condition
The governing civic body of Mumbai stated that exemptions will be considered only if required documents can be produced to the satisfaction of the in-charge officer at the airport. The exempted passengers need to strictly follow quarantine rules and regulations and shall be liable for appropriate action for any breach of quarantine rules.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Airport has resumed operations at Terminal 1 for the first time since the onset of COVID-19 pandemic since the terminal was closed due to low passenger footfall.
Featured image by Mumbai Airport