MANGALURU: In view of Maharashtra making 14 days of institutional quarantine mandatory for passengers arriving from United Kingdom, South Africa, Middle East and Europe, many passengers from these countries are landing at the international airports in Bengaluru, Mangaluru and Goa and then taking domestic flights or continuing their journey by road to their state in order to bypass the rule.
Sources said while passengers from Dubai and other Middle-Eastern cities are finding it convenient to land at Mangaluru International Airport, those from UK, South Africa and Europe are landing in Bengaluru International Airport and then taking domestic flights to Mumbai and other airports in Maharashtra.
A passenger who landed in Mangaluru from Dubai on Monday to visit his hospitalised relative in Mumbai, said he had to opt for the ‘short cut’ as he could not afford to undergo 14 days of quarantine both in terms of money and time. “Fourteen days of quarantine costs around Rs 15,000. Moreover who has the time for it? I have come to visit my relative and want to get back as soon as possible. After landing in Mangaluru, I took a cab to Mumbai,” he said.
However, a Mangaluru International Airport official said they were unaware of passengers landing at the airport as they do not check the final destination of passengers. “Even if their final destination is Maharashtra, we cannot stop them as institutional quarantine is not mandatory here for all international passengers,” he said.
According to the website of Mumbai airport all passengers arriving from UK, Middle East, South Africa and Europe have to undergo mandatory Institutional quarantine for seven days in Mumbai at their own cost. Travellers will be kept under institutional quarantine and the RT-PCR test will be conducted on the 7th day from arrival at their own cost. If they test negative, passengers will be allowed to carry on with seven days of home quarantine. A home quarantine stamp will be put and an undertaking will be taken from travellers.