Ministry of Civil Aviation, APHO to tighten Covid tests

Bengaluru: Following the Covid pandemic scare over the sub-continent after China reported explosion in Covid numbers, the Airports Health Organisation (APHO) has been alerted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) to be in readiness to restart all protocols of airport screening for the international passengers. Though no Chinese airline's schedules are landing in Bengaluru, the connecting flights to Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Delhi may soon be re-starting the screening.

Though the APHO has never stopped carrying out random tests in all airports small or big, in the coming days, the process for regular covid test regimens will be resumed all over the country. The privately managed airports (mainly Adani Airports) have already kept things in readiness in six airports under its wings including Mumbai and Mangaluru. The AAI may also go in for a full-scale Covid testing regimen in Indore, Pune, Thiruvananthapuram, Benaulim (Goa), Nagpur, Surat, Patna and Kochi in the coming days according to the APHO sources.

The airports on the western seaboard cities, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Mangaluru, and Goa (all international airports) are not in the risk zone as they received international flights only from the West Asian countries that are not yet on the list of the Covid alert region. When asked if Chinese airlines are still flying into India, a MOCA source said that if Beijing keeps abruptly cancelling scheduled flights whenever some passengers are discovered to have COVID upon arrival in Chinese airports, direct passenger flight services between India and China are unlikely to resume anytime soon.

Aftermath the Covid protocols were resumed in Bengaluru airport as per the statement of the health minister Dr Sudhakar, the state has seen an upsurge in the sales of Covid protocol essentials like masks, hand wash, sanitisers and 'keep distance' behaviour of the people. The online inquiries and sales for sanitisers, and N94 masks have recorded more hits than in the last few months. Even corporate stores, and cinema halls, have started putting out boards warning their customers to wear masks.

Health Minister advises voluntary booster dose

Top experts have revealed a shocking prediction that 60% of China and 10% of the world's population will be hit by the dreaded virus in the next three months. As Japan, the USA, Brazil, and India are put on high alert by epidemiologists, the Karnataka Government is set to reintroduce stringent screening at the Bengaluru International Airport.

Speaking to members of the media in Belagavi, Karnataka's Health Minister, Dr K Sudhakar, emphasized the need to increase booster dose coverage. "The steps to be followed in order to curb this new task will be decided in a high-level meeting that is chaired by the Chief Minister of Karnataka," He added.

"A sudden spike of infections has been observed in China and Japan in recent days. Chinese people are being hospitalised at an alarming rate. As India has reached 100% coverage in two doses of vaccination, the booster dose is still pending for quite a lot of Indians. "It is recommended that everyone who has not received the booster dose do so voluntarily," Dr Sudhakar said.

Dr. Sudhakar also said that screening for the virus will soon start at Bengaluru's airport because there are a lot of people in transit and people coming from other countries. He said, "Travellers will be screened for COVID in the airport as a precautionary measure." As per directives from the centre, samples of identified cases will be sent for genome sequencing to track variants of the virus."

At this point, a mandatory order to wear face masks is also expected after a review meeting was held by the Union Health Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Mansukh Mandaviya.