The Delhi government on Thursday extended its order related to 14-day quarantine for passengers arriving from the UK in the national capital till January 31.
Earlier, the administration had decided to clamp down on travellers coming from the United Kingdom with a mandatory seven-day institutional quarantine and a seven-day home quarantine even if they test negative for COVID-19 on arrival.
“To protect Delhiites from exposure to the virus from the UK, the Delhi government has taken important decisions. Travellers coming from the UK will have to mandatorily undergo a self-paid RT-PCR test on arrival at the airport,” Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwl had said on Friday.
“All those arriving from UK who test positive will be isolated at an isolation facility. Negative ones will be taken to a quarantine facility for seven days, followed by seven days of home quarantine,” the Delhi Chief Minister added.
On December 23, the central government suspended flights from the UK, with all passengers coming from there having to be tested on arrival at airports. The suspension of UK flights was later extended up to January 8.
Flights from the United Kingdom resumed on Friday in a limited capacity amid concerns about the new strain of the coronavirus that was recently detected in the UK. The first flight carrying 256 passengers arrived in Delhi today from London, airport officials informed.
The ban on flights to the UK was lifted on January 6. 30 flights will operate each week – 15 each by Indian and UK carriers. This schedule will continue till January 23, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had informed earlier.
Passengers will have to take an RT-PCR test up to 72 hours before a flight and on arrival. Meanwhile, leaders, including Rajasthan and Delhi Chief Ministers Ashok Gehlot and Arvind Kejriwal, hit out at the Centre for partially lifting the ban and urged authorities to extend the ban.
