CHANDIGARH: Eight passengers travelling on London-Amritsar flight of Air India have tested positive for COVID-19 on arrival, they have been sent to the isolation facility.
Sources said 242 passengers and 10 crew members were on board the Air India flight from London that landed at 12.05 am on Tuesday at the Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport in Amritsar.
The passengers and crew members were asked to stay put at the airport for more than 12 hours until the results of their RT-PCR tests came in.
The delay in testing led to high tempers at the airport as the passengers entered into an argument with the officials. Meanwhile, their relatives waiting outside raised anti-government slogans.
"The sampling process started as soon as the flight landed. Passengers and crew members had to undergo the RT-PCR test. The airport authorities had already informed their relatives about the testing. It takes five to six hours for the clearance of all international passengers. But it took more time in this case. The passengers were given meals and refreshments," said an official.
Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said that passengers and crew who arrived from the UK were kept under observation at a separate area in the airport after taking their samples for RTPCR testing. Six men and two women turned out to be positive. They have been isolated as per SOPs.
Sidhu said instructions have been issued to all Deputy Commissioners and Civil Surgeons regarding surveillance and testing of passengers travelling from or transiting through the United Kingdom.