Updated: January 2, 2021 4:10:25 pm
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued the standard operating procedure for epidemiological surveillance and response to the new variant of the new coronavirus in the context of regulated resumption of flights from the UK to India, January 8 onwards.
The Civil Aviation Ministry announced on Friday that flights from the UK, which have been suspended from December 22, will resume on January 8 in a phased manner
India-UK flights: What flights will resume on January 8 onwards?
The Center has allowed airlines from both India and the United Kingdom to resume 15 flights each week between January 8 and 23. Airline officials said airlines are preparing schedules and will contact customers once they are ready.
Air India said passengers who were booked to fly on December 23 will be the first to fly outside of the UK. While previous flights from the UK operated to various airports in India, only Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad will receive passengers for the time being. Those who want to fly to other cities will need to book connecting flights from these four hubs.
It is also noteworthy that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will allow spaced flights to avoid the crowding of UK passengers when the test protocol is followed.
What passengers are arriving In India from the UK need to do?
In accordance with the guidelines for other international arrivals, all incoming UK passengers will be required to submit self-declaration forms on an online portal (www.newdelhiairport.in) at least 72 hours before their scheduled journey. Passengers arriving from the UK must also carry negative reports of RT-PCR tests, for which the tests must have been carried out within 72 hours of embarking on the journey. Airlines have been asked to ensure that passengers bring the negative test report before allowing them to board the flight.
Upon arrival at Indian airports, all UK passengers on all international flights will be subject to mandatory self pay RT-PCR testing. This means that any passenger taking a connecting flight through one of the international hubs such as Dubai, Doha, etc. it will also be subject to mandatory testing. For passengers awaiting test results at airports in India, airports have been asked to make arrangements to keep these passengers isolated.
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What happens if a passenger tests positive for Covid-19 upon arrival?
Passengers who test positive must be isolated in an institutional facility in a separate unit (isolation) coordinated by the respective state health authorities. They will allocate specific facilities for said isolation and treatment, and will take the necessary measures to send the positive samples to the laboratories of the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG). If the test report reveals that the Covid-19 variant is not the new one, the ongoing treatment protocol will be followed, including home isolation or on-site treatment depending on the severity of the case.
If the test report reveals that the passenger has tested positive for the new variant, the patient will continue in the separate isolation unit. Although the necessary treatment will be administered according to the existing protocol, the patient will undergo the test on day 14 from the first positive test. The patient will be kept in the isolation facility until his sample is negative.
What happens if one has traveled with a Covid-19 positive passenger?
For passengers who test positive on arrival, all of their contacts will be subject to institutional quarantine and will be evaluated according to ICMR guidelines. To do this, the contacts will include the passengers seated in the same row, three rows in front and three rows behind, together with the identified cabin crew.
The state passenger manifest for flights from the United Kingdom landing at Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai airports in India for said period will be transmitted by the Immigration Office to the State Government and / or the Immigration Program. Integrated Disease Surveillance (IDSP).
Why is the government taking these steps?
The mutated strain of the coronavirus, which originated in the UK, has already spread to 23 countries, including the US, China, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Canada, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. In India alone, at least 29 people who arrived from the UK between the time the suspension was announced and implemented were found to be infected with this new variant. The European Center for Disease Control (ECDC) estimates that this variant is more communicable and affects the younger population.
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