Maharashtra: No intention to stop international flights, says Rajesh Tope

On Monday, the Centre had added Ghana and Tanzania to the list of countries “at risk” for Omicron — passengers from Europe (including the UK), South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Ghana, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tanzania and Israel have to undergo Covid-19 testing and follow quarantine measures upon landing in Maharashtra.

But the variant is being reported in a growing list of countries, including the US, Australia and Japan among a dozen others.

Last week, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had demanded a ban on international travel. Earlier, the state Cabinet had also discussed the issue of stopping flights from “at-risk” countries.

On Wednesday, however, Tope said, “So far, the state has recorded only 10 cases of Omicron. The symptoms are mild, with no death. Thus, being the financial capital of India, we have no intention to close down the Mumbai airport as of now. Also, we are relying on the directive of the Centre on stopping international travel.”

To boost the capacity of genome sequencing, Tope said that two more laboratories will be set up in Nagpur and Aurangabad. It will cost over Rs 15 crore to set up the labs, he added.

The BMC had struggled for six months to start genome sequencing lab in Kasturba Gandhi hospital. “With the help of donations and corporate social responsibility funds, the lab has been set up. The total cost comes close to Rs 10 crore. So, if the state government wants to set up two more labs before there is community spread of Omicron, they need to fasten the process as importing machines is a challenge,” said a senior health officer.