Health Ministry issues norms for testing of international arrivals at airports

The health secretary's letter to the civil aviation ministry comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting to review India's preparedness to tackle any situation in wake of the rising Covid-19 cases in China.

The Narendra Modi government on Thursday laid out the guidelines for the random screening of international passengers in wake of the rising Covid-19 cases in China and some other countries.

According to the letter sent by Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan, a sub-section of 2 per cent of the total passengers in a flight will undergo random post-arrival testing at airports in India.

The travellers on the flight will be identified by the concerned airlines for testing and preferably be from different countries. The earmarked passengers will submit their samples and be allowed to leave the airport.

If found positive, a copy of the report shall be shared with the integrated disease surveillance programme by the concerned testing laboratory to be shared with the respective state or union territory for follow-up action.

In case the travellers test positive, their samples should be sent for genome testing at the dedicated INSACOG laboratory network, the letter stated.

The health secretary's letter to the civil aviation ministry comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting to review India's preparedness to tackle any situation in wake of the rising Covid-19 cases in China.

Noting that Covid-19 is not over yet, the prime minister cautioned against complacency and advised strict vigil. He directed the officials to strengthen the ongoing surveillance measures, especially at the international airports.

Several states including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Punjab, Maharashtra and Rajasthan have announced precautionary measures including ramped up testing, genome sequencing and mask advisories.

This comes after Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya told Parliament that the states had been asked to ramp up testing and genome sequencing of positive samples.

Travellers push trolleys with their luggage at the departure area of the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. (REUTERS)