Passengers, experts question Covid-19 testing upon arrival in airports across Maharashtra

Top sources from the civic authority said after receiving complaints, the airport operator has been allowing each passenger to leave the arrivals only after seeing the negative report in case they have conducted the test from their departing city within 72 hours before travel or the test slip as a proof that the test was conducted after landing at the airports across the state.

Two weeks after the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests was mandated for passengers arriving from Delhi, Rajasthan, Goa and Gujarat, 104 of 9,704 total passengers who underwent the test at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) between November 26 and December 8 tested positive for Covid-19. Passengers, however, have raised questions about the state government’s rule of allowing passengers to leave the airport without their test reports.

A healthcare worker collects swab sample of a passenger at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai. (HT Photo)

Earlier, the airport had reported that many passengers were sneaking out in order to skip the RT-PCR tests. While this issue was resolved, few arriving passengers are reportedly not reacting well when asked to pay ₹1,400 per person for the test, the reports of which arrive after a minimum of 24 hours.

Top sources from the civic authority said after receiving complaints, the airport operator has been allowing each passenger to leave the arrivals only after seeing the negative report in case they have conducted the test from their departing city within 72 hours before travel or the test slip as a proof that the test was conducted after landing at the airports across the state.

CSMIA officials reiterated that all passengers conducting RT-PCR test at Mumbai airport are being given a slip as proof of having undertaken the test. “Security officials at the airport are only allowing passengers to exit when either they show their negative report or their test slips,” said an airport official.

Sources from a leading airline said more people opt to get tested after landing. “We have seen that many passengers, especially at Mumbai airport, have been conducting tests after landing. If our flight has around 110 passengers, not less than 60 are undergoing testing at the city airport.”

Another senior official from an Indian airline said, “Our staff is placed towards the end of the aerobridges at CSMIA for checking passengers’ negative report. Those yet to test are directed to the counters set up a few metres away from the aerobridge. Everything goes well until there are more than two flights landing almost at the same time. ”

With an aim to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in Maharashtra, the state government had implemented norms for passengers arriving from Delhi, Goa, Rajasthan and Gujarat. According to this norm, all passengers arriving from these four places need to carry a negative RT-PCR test report conducted from the departing city within 72 hours before take-off. Easing the norm, the government also allowed travellers to get themselves tested at the arriving airport.

Experts, however, said the state government’s norm was not a good decision.

“Maharashtra government allowing people to get tested after landing at airports is like conducting breathalyser tests on pilots after operating a flight and not before taking off. If the government’s aim is to control the spread of virus in its state, they should not have not been given the option to get tested after landing,” said captain Mohan Ranganathan, aviation expert.

He added, “As there are two options currently of either carrying a Covid-19 negative report from the departing city or getting tested upon arrival at the destination, it has not discouraged people much from travelling. However, people might have been discouraged if the only option available was to get tested prior to their flight.”

Questions have been raised on the effectiveness of the norm too.

Kalyan resident Rajesh Jain, who has been travelling to different cities for his work, said, “I arrived in Mumbai on December 2, and I am yet to get my report for the RT-PCR test conducted at CSMIA. Not all travel by choice; for some it is need-based like mine. I am currently in Bhubaneswar for work and I might be asked to fly to Rajasthan next week. However, before taking off for Bhubaneswar, I waited for 72 hours for my report. I live in a one BHK flat and hence isolation is a problem too. I have children at home and could not afford to take risks. Hence, I had to isolate myself in my balcony for the three days I was home.”

Additional municipal commissioner P Velarusu did not reply to HT’s calls and messages.

Health minister Rajesh Tope was unable for comment after repeated attempts.

Borivli resident Prasad Pandit, who had to go to Goa and returned within 24 hours, received his RT-PCR reports on Tuesday night but with different names and test details. “I landed at CSMIA on Sunday evening and did my test around 8pm. I was told that my reports would be emailed to me within 24 hours but I had to follow up with the centre when I did not receive it on time. It was then that I was told that they did not have my record and that I had not conducted my test. After continuous follow ups, they handed over me a report with my surname but with a different name. Moreover, the time and day of conducting tests, too, were mentioned to be different than mine.” Pandit said he remained in isolation until he got his reports.

Health professionals feel that the purpose of conducting the test is not served with such a time gap in preparing reports. “As per BMC rules, all reports have to be given within 24 hours. So, the delay of two days is a violation of rules. Secondly, the government shouldn’t allow testing at any airport which is forcing people to wait in long queues. This makes passengers more vulnerable to contracting the infection. The focus should be on doing the test before entering the airport. The test can be done within 72 hrs before the flight,” said Dr Deepak Baid, president of Association of Medical Consultant (AMC).

Health activists also raised the issue that passengers are allowed to take private vehicles from the airport to their destinations before getting the report.

“The infected passenger can not only infect the driver but also other people who come in close contact with him/her during the travel. Also, many passengers take autorickshaws which aren’t properly sanitised. This can become a source of infection. The government and the airport authority need to sit together and come up with better plans to channelise all these issues,” said Dr Abhijit More, a health activist.

(With inputs from Rupsa Chakraborty)