NEW DELHI: The Delhi airport is likely to have a COVID-19 testing facility for international passengers who, if tested negative, will get an exemption from the mandatory seven-day institutional quarantine.
Currently, passengers arriving from abroad have to undergo seven days of institutional quarantine followed by seven days of home quarantine.
As per the current guidelines, if an international passenger has a COVID-negative certificate from a test done 96 hours prior to the journey, he or she can avoid the seven-day institutional quarantine.
An official said that the testing facility at the Delhi airport would be for those international passengers who do not have such a Covidnegative certificate and still want to avoid institutional quarantine.
Scheduled international passenger flights continue to remain suspended in India since March 23 amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, special repatriation flights and international charter flights have been permitted by the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Since August 8, a total of five categories of passengers are exempted from mandatory seven- day institutional quarantine — pregnant women; those who have suffered death in the family; those suffering from serious illness; parents accompanying children below 10 years of age; those who have Covidnegative certificate from a test done 96 hours prior to the flight.