Delhi Initiates Extra COVID-19 Precautionary Measures for Arriving Passengers

If you are travelling to Delhi now, especially from a state which has seen a recent spike in the number of COVID-19 virus infected people, then be prepared to be tested on arrival.

Delhi airport has already started the random testing.

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority of the Government of NCT of Delhi, in an order in late March this year, has asked all its district units to conduct random testing (RAT/RT-PCR) of passengers (coming from the states where COVID-19 cases are surging or rapidly increasing) at all airports, railway stations, inter-state bus terminals (ISBTs) and other alighting points (for private buses) in NCT of Delhi.

Samples will be collected from passengers randomly at the alighting points for conducting COVID-19 related tests.

According to the notice, after collection of samples, the travellers will be allowed to exit.

However, those passengers who are found positive, shall be mandatorily quarantined or isolated at their place of stay or at a COVID-19 Care Centre (CCC) or at a CHG/Hospital, as the case may be for 10 days as per the prescribed protocol of Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

Record of all such passengers will be maintained and surveillance, tracking, tracing, etc. as per the prescribed SOP or protocol is conducted by the State Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (State IDSP).

This random testing is in addition to all guidelines for domestic travel (air/train/inter-state bus travel) issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in May last year.