Web check-in, no cabin luggage for flyers likely
Passenger trains resume; aviation ministry gears up for domestic flights
As Coronavirus cases reached close to 71,000 with 2,293 deaths on Tuesday, India slowly is learning to live with the deadly virus.
The Indian Railways on Tuesday restored its passenger services after 50 days while the Civil Aviation Ministry is also gearing up for domestic operations in a staggered manner as and when it gets a final nod from the government.
On Tuesday, 3,694 fresh cases were reported across the country with 87 deaths. However, according to news agency PTI total number of cases were 71,630 evening.
Despite the rising cases, union health ministry said the doubling time which was 10.9 in the past
14 days has improved to
12.2 days now.
The ICMR in this week going to start random community-based ‘serosurvey’ across the country to check if the Covid19 virus has reached community transmission stage in India.
It is expected the number of cases will rise once government allows movement of people in large numbers.
The Railways has started 15 pairs of special passenger trains, in addition to the 542 trains that it is running for 6.48 lakh by late stranded migrant workers, students, pilgrims etc. The government has also evacuated 6,037 people in the first phase of Vande Bharat mission through Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express that are operating 64 flights between May 7 and May 14 in the first phase to bring 14,800 Indians from 12 countries on a payment basis.
The government is now going to start second round of evacuation under Vande Bharat through 149 Air India repatriation flights from
31 countries between May
16 to 22. Meanwhile, a draft Standard Operating Procedure is being worked out under which it is proposed that the airlines passengers will not be allowed to carry cabin baggage, must have Aarogya Setu App, checkin two hours before the flight time.
It is proposed that airlines will not pack their flights and keep seating gap between passengers, and rostering the same set of cabin and cockpit crew as long as possible in order to prevent possible cross contamination.
Green status on Aarogya Setu app, web check-in, and temperature checks for all domestic departing and arriving passengers have also been proposed.
Not just for passengers, the draft standard operating protocol has suggested measures that could be followed by security agencies as well as airport operators, including doing away with identity card checks at airport entry gates and ensuring social distancing requirements.
A questionnaire will also be given to the passengers.
“A questionnaire to be circulated to the passenger and filled up by them in advance about their past history related to Covid-19 and quarantine, if any, in last one month,”
“Any passenger who has undergone quarantine in the last one month to be sent for security at the isolated security check unit only,” as per the document.