Coronavirus: Delhi airport sets up dedicated area to sanitise cabs before pick up

New Delhi: The Delhi airport has set up a dedicated area at the entry point of its parking zone to ensure cabs coming there to pick up passengers are thoroughly sanitised, according to a Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) statement.

Radio taxi services like Mega and Meru and app-based cab aggregators like Uber and Ola have a designated area at the airport's arrival floor's parking zone.

"A dedicated area has been set up at the entry point of the multi-level car parking (MLCP) zone for each operator to conduct car sanitisation thoroughly from inside and outside," the statement said.

Explaining the disinfection process, DIAL said its sanitisation personnel use a specially developed fumigation machine to spray disinfectant inside the vehicle.

"This neutralises any virus inside the vehicle. Once the spray is done, the vehicle is left idle for two minutes for higher impact on eliminating viruses and other germs," it said.

DIAL said after completion of the internal disinfection process, the entire outer body of the vehicle is properly disinfected through sanitiser spray treatment.

"Special emphasis is given to sanitise the touch points of a vehicle. This includes sterilisation of vehicle''s door latches, interior of vehicle viz. doors, glove box, dashboard, seats, seat gloves, steering wheels, gear lever, head rests, AC vents/buttons. among others," DIAL said.

India resumed domestic passenger flights after a gap of two months on May 25. International passenger flights continue to remain suspended in the country due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

DIAL said taxi drivers have been instructed to spray "high touch points" with sanitiser after every trip. Every taxi driver has to also undergo mandatory thermal screening at the airport, it said.

"In case of any abnormality in body temperature, the driver is refrained from driving the vehicle and instead advised to meet airport health officials for next steps," DIAL said.

Drivers and the passengers have been asked to strictly adhere to the government''s guidelines by wearing hand gloves and face mask while on a trip, it said.

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 1.9 lakh people and killed over 5,300 people in India till now.