With domestic flights resuming operation from May 25, India is all geared up to welcome international flights too which are conducting repatriation and even the general ones in the coming months of June or July.
But, with the risks that Covid-19 brings along, it is not surprising at all that the country is taking all the precautions to ensure the safety of the citizens and further contain the spread of the virus.
All the international travellers entering India will have to undergo a mandatory quarantine of 14 days, as per the new guidelines shared by India’s Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Not just that, the passengers willing to travel to India from abroad will also have to take a mandatory 14 days quarantine before they board a ship or flight. For the quarantine period after landing in India, the individuals will have to undergo 7 days of institutional quarantine at their own expense followed by a home quarantine of 7 days.
But, for some of the serious cases including human distress, pregnancy, death in the family, serious illness or even the parents accompanied by children of 10 years of less will be allowed to self isolate in their homes for 14 days.
Installation of Aarogya Setu App
Another mandatory that the passengers need to follow is installing the Aarogya Setu App on their mobiles without fail. Only the asymptomatic passengers will be allowed on the flight or ship following the checks under the thermal screening.
The passengers who are arriving via the land borders will also have to undergo the same instructions as for the passengers travelling via ship or flight. Only the asymptomatic patients will be allowed to cross the borders.
Along with that, a self declaration form in duplicate needs to be filled in by the passenger before boarding, a copy of which is going to be provided to the health and immigration officials who are present at the port of entry. The form is likely going to be made available on the Aarogya setu app as well.
Aside from the precautions of consistent disinfecting of the airports and the lounges, the ministry has also advised the people to wear masks and practice hygiene without any further questions.
Passing through thermal screening
On arrival, a thorough thermal screening is going to be conducted by the health officials present at the port of entry.
The passengers who are found symptomatic will be isolated immediately and taken to a medical facility as per the protocol. The remaining passengers will be taken to the institutional quarantine facilities as per the suggestions.
In case any of the passengers are found to test positive for the virus, the immediate medical treatments will be done. If the symptoms are mild, they will either be advised with home isolation or transferred to a Covid-19 Care Centre around.
“Those having moderate or severe symptoms will be admitted to dedicated COVID Health facilities and managed accordingly,” the guidelines said.
India is most likely going to open the international travel and flights in the coming few months. All the domestic and international travels have been suspended since India went into lockdown.
What about Domestic travel?
Apart from the reports for the international travel, India has also resumed their domestic flight operations from May 25, 2020 but with limited operations. The Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Saturday that it is likely that the international flight operations are going to be starting within a month or two.
“If the situation eases and improves, by that I mean if the virus behaves in a predictable manner, we get used to the idea of being able to coexist with the virus and we are in a position to make arrangements,” said Puri.
With the success of the Vande Bharat mission, things have been running pretty smoothly and they are confident that the resuming of the domestic flights will also go on smoothly without any hassle. This is why they are optimistic that they would be able to start the international flights by June middle or the end of July.
