Following Delhi Airport's lead, Mumbai international airport has started testing incoming passengers for COVID-19 with an on-site lab. The new service will help bypass international quarantine, which has been made mandatory if passengers do not carry a recent COVID-19 negative test result.
The RT-PCR test lab at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport will fetch results in a matter of hours, which means passengers won't have be undergo 7-day institutional quarantine and home-isolation for 14 days.
Mumbai Airport's express COVID test lab
When an international passenger lands at Mumbai airport, the express testing facility is located near the exit gates of CSMIA's terminal 2. Passengers can make an online booking for the COVID test from Suburban Diagnostic lab website or register at the helpdesk at the arrival terminal. There's a fixed charge of Rs 1,600 for the test, which can be done any hour of day or night.
Despite being an express service, the RT-PCR test result for COVID will take up to 8 hours. During this time, passengers will be guided to a waiting lounge with special F&B arrangements. Passengers can also book a room at the airport hotel if they choose to.
Upon testing negative for COVID-19, passengers can continue on to their final destinations. In case of a connecting flight, passengers are advised to book their next flight with a gap of 8-12 hours.
In case the passengers test positive for the virus, they will be transferred to a designated institution by the state authorities. The testing is currently available at the arrival terminal and soon it will also be set up at departure terminals as well.
