Amended Maharashtra rules provide for institutional quarantine for arrivals from only South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe

The decision comes a day after the Centre wrote to the state saying its mandatory quarantine for international passengers was in divergence with its COVID-19 guidelines.

Arriving passengers leave a terminal at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai. | AFP 

MUMBAI: Maharashtra on Thursday amended its air travel rules making seven-day institutional quarantine mandatory for passengers from only three countries -- South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe.

Earlier, the state government's November 30 order had made institutional quarantine mandatory for passengers arriving from all `at risk' countries in the central government's list in view of the Omicron variant threat.

Maharashtra Chief Secretary Debashish Chakravarty earlier in the day had said the state government was considering a revision of its guidelines, a day after the Centre wrote to the state saying its order was in divergence with the COVID-19 guidelines issued by the Union government.