Coronavirus: Screening of passengers from China at 7 airports

Amid the outbreak of the mysterious 'novel coronavirus disease,' the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Tuesday stated that it will be extending the screening of passengers visiting from China to four more airports- Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Cochin. 

The Ministry had earlier asked for a screening test at Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata airports. The measure has been taken as a precautionary step given the recent outbreak of pneumonia caused by a novel coronavirus in Wuhan city in Hubei province of China.

In its statement, the Aviation Ministry informed about the thermal screening of passengers at airports. It will also make the space available at the pre-immigration area with logistics to install thermal cameras at these airports and airline staff would bring the passengers to the health counters before immigration check.

"In order to facilitate early isolation, in-flight announcements will be made by the airlines (which are directly coming from any airport in China, including Hong Kong) requesting passengers with history of fever and cough and history of travel to Wuhan City in last 14 days to self-declare at port of arrival or to state health authorities," it said.

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Airline staff will have to guide travelers 

As per the Aviation Ministry orders, the airline staff would have to guide the visitors from China to fill up the self-reporting forms before disembarkation so that the filled up format can be checked by APHO staff on arrival. 

"All passengers and crew who are otherwise healthy should be allowed to continue their onward journey," it said.  It also added that if the ill passenger or crew member is confirmed as a probable case of Wuhan coronavirus, public health authorities will be notified about the patient using the Passenger Locator Form.

Multiple countries around the world have increased the measures to control the spread of the virus. The death toll in China rose to six and the number of detected cases surged to nearly 300.

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(With agency inputs) 

(Image Credit: AP)