coronavirus: DGCA mandates health screening of passengers from 4 more countries

MUMBAI: India’s aviation regulator has mandated health screening of passengers arriving from South Korea, Japan, Thailand and Singapore, in addition to those coming from China and Hong Kong, for possible exposure to the novel coronavirus.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a notice on Friday that all passengers arriving from these countries will be universally screened “once they step out of the specified identified aerobridge”. Airport officials were advised to place signages across the airport and also have self-declaration forms signed and filled by passengers.

Such screening is usually done with a thermal scanner which uses heat sensors to detect high temperature levels. Passengers suspected of infection are taken to a quarantined area. The screening, initially done at four airports, has not been extended to 21 across the country.

SpiceJet on Friday said the passenger on its Bangkok-Delhi flight who was quarantined a day earlier at Delhi airport on suspicion of being infected by the virus has tested negative.

Earlier this year, the government temporarily suspended all e-visas issued to Chinese nationals as well as people from other nationalities residing in China.

Air India last week evacuated Indians stuck in China, where the coronavirus emerged. The government had then estimated that about 700 Indian students were studying in different universities in Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus outbreak, and its surrounding areas.