Omicron strain: Alarm in Maharashtra as 6 passengers from 'at-risk' nations test COVID-19 positive

Amid rising Omicron fear in Maharashtra and other parts of India, six passengers arriving from 'at risk' countries have tested COVID-19 positive, the Maharashtra Health Department said on Wednesday (December 1).

The Maharashtra Health Department said that all six passengers - who arrived in Mumbai in from South Africa or other countries with confirmed Omicron cases - are either asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. The statement added that the samples of these passengers have been sent for genome sequencing and contact tracing is currently underway.

The six passengers are from the Mumbai Corporation, Kalyan-Dombivali Corporation, Meera-Bhayandar Corporation and Pune and two passengers arrived from Nigeria, who have been traced to Pimpri-Chinchwad corporation area.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government on Tuesday tightened rules for international travellers. The state has issued its own set of rules that are more stringent than that laid down by the Centre. As per the new rules, all international passengers travelling from 'at-risk' nations into the state will have to undergo a mandatory seven-day institutional quarantine.olting global markets.

The order to place passengers into compulsory isolation facilities will come into effect immediately. Travellers will be required to pay for the quarantine at designated hotels, as per a media report. Earlier, six international passengers who travelled from 'countries at-risk' into Maharashtra have tested COVID-19 positive. Their samples have been sent for genome sequencing to ascertain if they are carrying the pathogen of Omicron.