International passengers taking their flights from Delhi airport can now get tested for Covid-19 just before their departure, the Genestrings Diagnostic Center, which operates the testing laboratory at the airport, said on Saturday.
The Covid-19 testing facility, which began operating on September 12 at the Delhi airport, was available only to arriving passengers to date.
“The facility has now been expanded to air travelers departing from India for other countries. In particular, international travel rules require passengers traveling from one country to another to produce negative reports of COVID, ”said a Genestrings press release.
The laboratory uses RT-PCR tests and provides reports within 4-6 hours. It means that travelers must arrive at the airport 7-8 hours before their scheduled flight to conduct the test, the press release noted. “The test is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is priced at Rs 2,400 as ordered by the Delhi government,” the statement said.
“As more people embark on international travel, the Delhi airport authorities felt the need to provide the testing facilities for outbound passengers as well,” said Rajat Arora, director of the Genestrings Diagnostic Center. Genestrings Diagnostics has increased its staff of laboratory technicians at the facility as the laboratory expects a growing number of samples in the coming days, the press release noted.
Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) started the Covid-19 testing facility on September 12 in the multi-level car parking area of Terminal 3 in collaboration with Genestrings Diagnostic Center which is a Yashoda Hospitals group company . Scheduled international flights have been suspended in India since March 23 due to the lockdown caused by the coronavirus.
However, special international passenger flights have been operating in India under the Vande Bharat Mission since May and under bilateral air bubble agreements formed between India and other countries since July.
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