NEW DELHI: Every Indian returnee reaching Delhi airport will have to stay at paid quarantine facility for a mandatory period of 14 days even if one doesn’t have symptoms of coronavirus infection.Earlier, the government had planned to allow home-quarantine for asymptomatic stranded travellers ‘without risk’ coming from foreign countries.
The health department of Delhi government on Thursday issued revised guidelines for handling of all arrivals at Delhi airport to mitigate the possibility of coronavirus spread; passengers screening and their shifting to hospitals or quarantine facilities.
“The asymptomatic passengers will be quarantined in paid institutional quarantine centres for 14 days from the date of arrival as per the protocol. All district magistrates have been directed to keep the suitable
paid and other quarantine facilities ready in their respective districts.They will also ensure transportation of the passengers to the institutional centres,” said an official, privy to the matter.
The previous guidelines issued on Wednesday said that passengers arriving from foreign shores with COVID-19 symptoms would be sent to the designated hospitals and asymptotic people would be segregated into two groups- ‘high risk’ and ‘without risk’.
Only high-risk asymptomatic travellers were supposed to be in quarantine facilities and without risk passengers were to be allowed for home quarantine after tendering an undertaking. "Soon after deboarding, all passengers will be taken for thermal screening and people with symptoms will be shifted to the hospitals. All passengers will be asked to download Aarogya Setu application, developed to connect essential health services with the people, on their mobile device," said the official.