International passengers from the UK, Europe, South Africa, Middle East,  and Brazil will no longer have to undergo the mandatory week-long institutional quarantine on arrival in Mumbai if they have received both shots of COVID-19 vaccine.

Passengers with serious illnesses that require immediate medical attention, such as cancer, severe physical disability, mental illness and cerebral palsy can also skip quarantine now if they have supporting medical documents.

Mumbai’s civic body BMC, in its new set of advisories, has also given exemption from institutional quarantine to the passengers who are above 65 years of age, women in advanced stage of pregnancy, both parents accompanying children aged below five. Earlier, the passengers arriving or transiting from flights originating from these countries with a final destination in Maharashtra had to observe a compulsory institutional quarantine of seven days at a state-designated facility irrespective of a negative report before boarding the flight.

Medical professionals who intend to travel for life-saving surgery or attend to critical patients have also been exempted from institutional quarantine if they furnish proof from the hospital where they are to perform the surgery or provide medical service.

The passengers who don’t fall under any of these categories, however, will have to undergo mandatory institutional quarantine for seven days followed by seven days of home quarantine.

The new guidelines come even as Maharashtra, among other states, has been reporting a surge in the COVID-19 cases. Mumbai last week reported the most daily coronavirus cases since the pandemic began, stoking a new nationwide wave.

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