UK flyers land in Delhi to news of 7-day institutional isolation

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government on Friday announced that all passengers arriving from the UK would have to undergo mandatory institutional quarantine of seven days, even if they tested negative in an RT-PCR check conducted at the airport on landing, in order to better control the spread of a more infectious mutant Covid-19 strain that is raging in parts of Britain.

According to the Union health ministry’s protocols for incoming flyers, released on Wednesday, those who tested positive were to be housed in state quarantine, while those who tested negative could be in home isolation for 14 days.

Delhi initially endorsed the guidelines, before adding the extra clause of institutional quarantine for all for the first seven days. The decision was supported by experts from a preventive perspective, but by the time the order was issued, flyers from the UK were already airborne. They learnt that they would have to mandatorily stay in an institutional quarantine facility only after they landed, leading to chaos at Delhi airport.

The first incoming flight from the UK in 16 days -- carrying 256 passengers -- landed at the IGI Airport on Friday, and over the course of the day, several passengers posted videos and photographs on social media blaming authorities for issuing the order without prior notice.

Delhi government authorities said the decision, while inconvenient, was important for safety. The government has identified 20 hotels and five hospitals to quarantine the passengers. The incoming flyers will have to pay to stay at the hotels -- mostly 4-5 stars; the list incudes Taj Palace, ITC Maurya, The Imperial, and several hotels at Aerocity, among others -- and for treatment at four of the five hospitals.