Social distancing seats have been lined up at Delhi International Airport.
New Delhi:
As new screening regulations begin for travelers from countries where Omicron cases have been found, today’s videos have shown scenes of preparations at Delhi International Airport.
Social distancing seats have been placed in long lines in the reservation area for passengers who need to wait for RT-PCR testing upon arrival.
The staging area at Delhi airport is for international passengers, who will be required to complete an RTPCR test on arrival from 1 December before being allowed to depart or make a connecting flight. It is unclear whether no PCR counters were set up or the time it took to get test results.#COVID-19pic.twitter.com/edJ15tU3Yo
– Vishnu Som (@VishnuNDTV) November 30, 2021
From tomorrow, on arrival, Covid will be required to be tested on passengers from more than 14 countries at risk of being detected with the Omicron variant, before they are allowed to leave.
The government has issued regulations on screening and testing international visitors after a man who had just returned from South Africa tested positive for COVID-19. The strain has not yet been established.
All passengers arriving from Europe, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel will be screened at the airport by RT-PCR.
In addition, 5% of all visitors from other countries will be randomly screened, according to the Union Health Ministry.
States like Karnataka and Delhi have made a 7-day quarantine period mandatory for all international passengers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged officials to consider the decision to resume all scheduled international flights from December 15.
Two Ministers – Uddhav Thackeray of Maharashtra and Arvind Kejriwal of Delhi – have urged the Center to stop flights from countries affected by Omicron.
Omicron or B.1.1.529 Covid variant was first detected in South Africa last week and has been designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a ”variant of concern”.
At this morning’s meeting, Union Health Minister Rajesh Bhushan advised states and Union Territories to increase testing for early identification and case management. Bhushan said the new variant did not escape the RT-PCR and RAT tests.
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