Sudden Covid-19 curbs create confusion, crowds at airport

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Sudden Covid-19 curbs create confusion, crowds at airport

Passengers Caught Unawares, Several With Negative Covid Report Refuse To Give Samples On Arrival

Times News Network

26.02.2021 

A late night order from the state government on Wednesday making tests for Covid-19 mandatory for passengers who arrive from abroad caused some confusion among travellers at Chennai airport as many were not aware about the need to give samples even when they have a negative RT-PCR test result. Only those from the UK were being tested so far.

Caught unawares, a few people who landed from the Middle East did not believe that they need to pay for another test at the airport and refused to give samples as they were carrying Covid-19 negative certificates. The airlines and travel agents too had not informed the passengers about the change in rules.

There was confusion among passengers, airlines and travel operators because testing and quarantine protocols for people arriving from countries other than the UK were different in Chennai when compared to other metro airports so far. While Mumbai had imposed tests and compulsory quarantine following the state government order much earlier, Chennai let people, except those from the UK, walk out after showing a Covid-19 negative certificate.

And when the rules were made stringent by the government on Wednesday, the wordings of the order – copied from a Union government instruction, issued a couple of days ago, but without additional explanations – put the authorities in a fix.

The order said international passengers coming/transiting from flight originating from the UK, Brazil, South Africa, Europe and Middle East will have to undergo test on arrival and cannot exit until the result is negative. However, the same order also mentions that people travelling/transiting via Europe (other than UK) and the Middle East will be allowed to exit/board connecting flights after giving their samples for the test.

Health secretary J Radhakrishnan clarified it is mandatory for passengers from the UK, Brazil and South Africa – countries where the new strain is wreaking havoc – to wait for RTPCR results. “They will be allowed to board connecting flights or exit the airport only after they test negative. Passengers from the Middle East or other parts of Europe can give the samples and exit. If samples test positive, we will initiate standard procedures of treatment and containment measures,” he said.

“A flow chart has been given by the authorities. That makes work easier for airlines and airport officials. The airlines have started to update the advisory for Chennai on their websites and travel agents too have started to inform the arriving passengers,” said an official.

More tests mean 300 to 400 passengers will have to wait at the terminal for four to six hours. AAI has readied a huge hall as a waiting area for passengers as the airport started to test UK passengers from the first week of this month. “Three to four flights arrive in a day. There are not enough schedules because these are ‘air bubble’ or Vande Bharat flights,” said an official.