International passengers arriving at Mumbai airport from September 3 will have to undergo mandatory RT-PCR tests. This was announced by Mumbai’s civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) after the discovery of a new strain of the coronavirus – C.1.2.

According to a statement by BMC, RT-PCR test mandatory for international passengers arriving at Mumbai Airport from UK, Europe, Middle East, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe upon arrival at the airport at their own cost, in wake of the discovery of a new strain of COVID-19.

The provision of institutional quarantine for international passengers travelling by air has been scrapped, as per the new guidelines.

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The new COVID variant C.1.2 was first reported in South Africa and it has not been found in India so far, government sources told news agency ANI.

World Health Organisation’s technical lead for COVID-19 Maria Van Kerkhove on Tuesday said that six countries have reported C.1.2 variant.

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According to the World Health Organisation, South Africa researchers first presented their findings on the C.1.2 variant on July 21. The new variant has 40-59 mutations more than the original Wuhan virus.

It is believed to be the most mutated version of coronavirus found so far.

According to a virologist, there’s no need to panic. It might be the most far away mutation of the coronavirus but that’s what the virus does. It is natural for viruses to mutate and so far there has been no evidence if it’s more transmittable.

The tools the world has today in place work against SARS-CoV-2, whatever the variant, the expert told PTI. “We will soon have a better understanding of the virus, till then sensationalism and panic is not going to solve anything,” the expert added.