CHANDIGARH: As many as 173 passengers from Italy have tested positive for Covid-19 upon arrival in Punjab's Amritsar. The passengers flew to the city from Rome in an aircraft with 285 people on board.
So far, test reports of 210 flyers have been received. The reports of the rest of the passengers are "inconclusive" and they will be re-tested on Saturday, VK Seth, Director of Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, told The New Indian Express.
Seth said, "This chartered flight directly came from Rome to Amritsar carrying 285 passengers and landed at around 12.20 pm. All the passengers, except children below five years, were tested. Till now we got reports of 210 passengers and of these 173 are positive.
"The agency hired for testing told us that the reports of the remaining 75 passengers were 'inconclusive' and they would be re-tested tomorrow. All the passengers have been taken for institutional quarantine."
"We met the local administrative and health officials over the re-testing of the rest of the passengers. It will be carried out tomorrow," he said.
Sources said Friday’s flight was operated by EuroAtlantic Airways, a Portuguese carrier but was chartered by SpiceJet.
This comes a day after 125 out of 179 passengers who were also on a chartered flight from Rome to Amritsar had tested positive for Covid.