4 passengers from UK, Netherlands test Covid +ve

NEW DELHI: Four people who flew into Delhi from the Netherlands and the UK in the early hours of Wednesday have tested positive for COVID-19 and their samples have been sent for genome sequencing to ascertain if they have the new variant, Omicron, sources said.

All four have been admitted to the LNJP Hospital, where a dedicated ward has been set up for isolating and treating such patients, they added.

“Four flights originating from Amsterdam and London and carrying 1,013 passengers landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport between 12 night and 6 am. Of these passengers, four have tested positive,” a source said. All four are Indian nationals, he added.

According to the Centre, the countries designated as “at risk” are the European countries including the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel.

Travellers from the “at risk” countries have to follow additional measures on arrival in India from Tuesday midnight.

Under the new norms, RTPCR tests are mandatory for passengers arriving from the “at risk” countries and they will be allowed to leave the airport only after the results come.

Also, five per cent of the passengers arriving in flights from other countries will be subject to the test randomly.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Wednesday said only two per cent of the passengers coming from countries that are not in the ‘at risk’ list will be subject to random sampling for Coronavirus and such passengers will be permitted to leave the airport after giving the samples.

Amid mounting concerns over Omicron, stricter norms for international passengers came into effect from Tuesday midnight and all passengers coming from ‘at risk’ countries have to compulsorily undergo Covid test, among other requirements.

Issuing a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), the ministry said that travellers undergoing random sampling may give the sample and be allowed to leave.

“Now, the random sampling would be limited to 2 per cent as per latest MoHFW (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare) guidelines and it would be on self-paid basis. Airlines/Airports may coordinate with the officials of State/ UT governments to select the passenger at random sampling,” the ministry said in a release.

There is also a question about travellers from countries, excluding those ‘at risk', transiting through the airports of countries ‘at risk' but staying within the airports.

On whether such travellers can be exempted from post-arrival testing based on the self-declaration form, the ministry has provided a clarification. “Post-arrival testing can be exempted if a person is travelling from a not at-risk country and has only a transit (without leaving immigration) in at-risk country before taking the destination flight.

“However, if the person has travelled to any at-risk country in last 14 days, he/she will be asked for post-arrival testing and other additional restrictions...,” the release said.

On whether travellers who have submitted their sample for post-arrival Covid test at the point of arrival (self-paid) have to wait for their test results before leaving or taking a connecting flight, the ministry said, “after the negative results are received, the passengers can take connecting flights to reach their final destination”.

Further, the ministry said a passenger can exit the airport or can take connecting flights for final destination once the negative report is received. “He/she need not wait for the report of all the copassengers,” it added. The ministry said the FAQs are being issued for better understanding of the passengers and to enable them for safe, secure and hassle-free international air travel.