Dubai: Passengers from the UAE to India’s financial capital Mumbai will be exempted from mandatory institutional quarantine if they have completed COVID-19 vaccination and fall under certain other categories of flyers.
The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai confirmed to Gulf News on Sunday that a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was issued by MCGM on Saturday which exempted passengers from seven-days’ institutional quarantine.
SOPs
Under the existing SOPs with regard to compulsory institutional quarantine, the passengers from or transiting through the UK, Europe, Middle East, South Africa and Brazil were required to undergo mandatory institutional quarantine for seven days, followed by seven days of home quarantine after landing in Mumbai. The exemption from the weeklong institutional quarantine was announced in the wake of many passengers completing both doses of COVID-19 vaccine after several countries commenced vaccination, according to a circular issued by the additional municipal commissioner (project) at MCGM, also known as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
Medical professionals
“Further, medical professionals who are intending to travel for life-saving surgeries or attending critical patients have been requesting for exemption from quarantine,” the circular said. Considering these developments, certain groups of passengers have been given exemption from institutional quarantine.
“Passengers who have completed their both COVID-19 vaccine doses can be exempted on production of both vaccination certificates. Also a self-declaration in prescribed format has to be produced,” the circular stated.
A spokesperson of the CSMIA said the exemption process is independently handled by BMC at the airport and the self-declaration form can be availed at BMC exemption counters at the airport.
Who else are exempted
Elderly passengers above 65 years of age, pregnant women in advance stage of pregnancy, both parents accompanying children below five years of age will also be exempted from institutional quarantine.
Passengers having serious illness and require immediate medical attention such as cancer, severe physical disability, mental illness, cerebral palsy can also be exempted on production of supporting documents and records for medical conditions that need admission in medical institutions immediately.
Passengers can also seek exemption if they face extreme family distress condition [i.e. father, mother, son, daughter in critical condition (on deathbed)], or severe accident in family, or death of immediate family member. This is possible only on the production of supporting documents convincing to the airport staff.
Medical professionals, who intend to travel for life-saving surgery or attending critical patients must produce proof from the hospitals where the surgery or medical service is intended to be performed, for getting exemption from institutional quarantine.
“Passengers from the above categories maybe considered for exemption from institutional quarantine subject to providing required documents to the satisfaction of the in-charge officer at the airport,” the circular stated.
The exempted passengers shall strictly follow quarantine rules and regulations and shall be liable for appropriate action for any breach of quarantine rules, it added.
