Covid 4th wave scare: Testing of passengers to begin today, airlines' crew to identify international arrivals

The random testing for COVID-19 of international passengers arriving in India will begin today, The Ministry of Civil Aviation issued an advisory on Friday, saying that the onus of bringing two percent of such passengers per flight will be on the crew members of the airlines. In a communication, the ministry said the crew will identify such passengers and bring them to the testing facility at the airport. After giving their samples, these passengers will be allowed to go to their destinations.

The government also asked the airport operators to create the infrastructure needed for testing 2 percent of passengers arriving from abroad for coronavirus. After testing, passengers will be required to furnish their contracts and address details.

The cost of testing will be borne by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The ministry will reimburse the cost upon submission of certified bills.

The airlines will identify passengers to be tested. These passengers preferably should be foreigners. They should be allowed to leave after providing samples.

All positive reports must be shared with the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme. Later, they will be shared with the state/union territory concerned.

The samples of the Covid positive passengers should be sent for genome sequencing.

Mumbai airport, in a statement on Friday, said it has made a provision for six registration counters and three sampling booths for the coronavirus testing process.

"Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) has also ensured that messages on preventive measures and details of the latest advisories are placed strategically across the terminal and CSMIA's digital platforms. All stakeholders have also been sensitised and informed to follow directives laid down by the authorities from time to time," it said.

The RT-PCR testing facility for international arriving passengers at the airport is located in the international arrival concourse, in the pre-immigration area, after the health screening counters.

With inputs from PTI