Testing goes up at Mumbai airport: 1.25L of total 3.45L tests done in less than two months

With the surge in Covid-19 cases in the second wave and some states including Maharashtra announcing lockdown-like restrictions, the number of RT-PCR tests at Mumbai airport has witnessed a massive increase

With the surge in Covid-19 cases in the second wave and some states including Maharashtra announcing lockdown-like restrictions, the number of RT-PCR tests at Mumbai airport has witnessed a massive increase. The airport saw around 125,000 RT-PCR tests since March 7 till the first few days of May. The total number of tests done at the airport till date stands to 345,000.

HT Image

From November 26, 2020 till last week, passengers travelling to Maharashtra from specific states, marked as “sensitive areas”, were required to have a negative RT-PCR report. However from Friday, the state government made negative RT-PCR test report, obtained within 48 hours before the time of entry into the state, mandatory for all arriving passengers. Considering the issues with delayed test reports, the state allowed air and rail travellers to de-board at their destinations in Maharashtra but asked them to get tested upon arrival.

Due to the impact of the second wave that largely started around April, air traffic has fallen from around 650 movements per day to around 200-250 movements per day, sources from Mumbai airport had told HT earlier in the week.

“Around 5.3 million passengers travelled to/from Mumbai airport between January and April 2020. However, the traffic fell when foreign countries imposed travel bans. Domestic traffic largely saw the impact from the first week of May,” said an airport source.

Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) set up testing facilities in September 2020 and it was gradually extended to encompass arriving and departing passengers as well as non-passengers arriving at the airport. With the increase in demand for testing at the airport in the wake of various testing and quarantine regulations across borders, CSMIA then went ahead to introduce an express molecular technology developed by Abbott ID Now to provide test results in 13 minutes.

“Since the launch of its testing facilities in September 2020, CSMIA has registered over 345,000 tests. The airport has established over 30 testing counters for international and domestic passengers. The testing centres include those equipped with molecular testing facilities which offer passengers the option to process their test results in 13 minutes post sample collection,” a senior airport official said.

However, passengers getting tested after arrival are allowed to head to their destinations and the reports are emailed to the after a minimum of 24 hours.

“As per the government resolution of Maharashtra government dated May 12, any passenger arriving from any part of India should bring negative RT-PCR report. Without a negative report, they are not allowed to board. Previously, passengers arriving from seven states were screened compulsorily...If passengers don’t have negative RT-PCR report, then the passengers were allowed to leave the airport after giving their swab samples for testing at the testing counters at the airport. The lab informs the concerned ward if a passenger is found positive and the respective ward monitors such a passenger,” said Devendra Kumar Jain, officer on special duty (OSD) in-charge of domestic and international operations, Mumbai civic body.

“The system is developed and every passenger is tracked. Passengers are equally worried and they take precautions themselves too,” he added.