Uncertainty as virus-hit states refuse to start domestic flights
Cities like Mumbai Kolkata, Chennai declined to accept Centre’s decision to reopen aviation sector; returning Indians to quarantine for 14 days at their own cost; 1,31,868 cases as death toll reaches 3,867
Uncertainity was hanging over the resumption of domestic flights on Sunday, as major metropolitian cities like Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai have declined to accept the Centre’s decision to reopen the aviation sector inside the country.
Maharashtra remains the most-affected state during the COVID-19 pandemic, registering over 47,000 cases and 1,500 deaths.
The Union Health Ministry’s data on Sunday gives the number of confirmed cases in India stands as 1,31,868, while the death toll has risen to 3,867.
A day after Tamil Nadu announced it will not let flights land as of now, Maharashtra on Sunday joined in, insisting that aviation sector cannot be opened in the state now. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also said the lockdown cannot be lifted even by May 31 because state has 47,190 out of 1,31,868 coronavirus cases in the country and is expecting more.
“It was wrong to impose the lockdown suddenly. It will be equally wrong to lift it in one go. It will be a double whammy for our own people,” he said.
Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, tweeted, “It’s extremely ill-advised to reopen airports in the red zone. Mere thermal scanning of the passengers, inadequate w/o swabs. Impossible to have autos/cabs/buses ply in current circumstances. Adding positive passenger will add COVID stress to red zone. #MaharashtraGovtcares.” Bengal had earlier announced it will not let planes fly in, because Cyclone Amphan has added to its miseries.
States cannot veto Centre’s plan to allow flights, but passengers can be disallowed from alighting.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Sunday called a meeting of airlines and airport operators on Sunday to discuss the standard operating procedure (SOP). The meeting will also discuss the objections of the three states to resumption of domestic flights.
In Delhi, meanwhile, Health Minister Satyendar Jain on Sunday said that the Arvind Kejriwal government has barricaded the 83 containment zones and no relaxation has been given in these areas.
“Till now, 41 zones have been de-contained,” Jain said.
He said the COVID-19 tally in Delhi now stands at 13,418, while 261 people have died.
Jain said 508 new COVID-19 infections were reported in the national capital till Saturday midnight.
“In the last 24 hours, 273 people have recovered. A total of 6,540 people have recovered so far. There was no death in the last 24 hours.”
QUARANTINE RULES
As the Centre pondered relaunching international flights on a regular basis, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Sunday made it mandatory for stranded Indians arriving from abroad to check into an institutional quarantine for 14 days at their own expense.
It’s also mandatory for them to have seven days of home isolation after that.
The ministry said that before boarding, all the travellers would have to give an undertaking that they would stick to the above rule to ensure least chances of transmission.
Exceptions will be given in a few cases - human distress, pregnancy, death in family, serious illness and parents accompanied by children below 10 years of age. They will be asked to self-isolate at home for 14 days.
Thermal screening is a must before boarding. On arrival, thermal screening would be carried out.
While on board the flight/ ship, required precautions such as wearing of masks, environmental hygiene, respiratory hygiene, hand hygiene etc. are to be observed by airline/ ship staff, crew and all passengers.
All passengers should have the Arogyasetu app on their phones. All possible measures to ensure social distancing should be ensured.
“Passengers arriving through the land borders will also have to undergo the same protocol as above, and only those who are asymptomatic will be enabled to cross the border into India,” says the ministry.
On Saturday, Union Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the ministry will try to start some percentage of international passenger flights well before August this year. Meanwhile the airlifting of Indians stranded abroad continue under the Vande Bharat mission.