BHUBANESWAR: The Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) authorities on Monday said the airport is ready to initiate screening and conduct RT-PCR testing of domestic passengers - especially those having recent travel history to foreign countries at the airport - if the State government wants to up surveillance in wake of the Omicron scare.
As the Centre tightens the norms for air travellers arriving from ‘countries at risk’, BPIA Director Pravat Ranjan Beuria said there is no need to panic as no international flights are scheduled to the State Capital for the next one month.
“There is no proposal to resume international flights to and from Bhubaneswar till the end of December. If any proposal is received from foreign airlines, BPIA will communicate it to the State government and propose screening and testing of international flyers arriving in the city,” he said.
Meanwhile, Public Health director Dr. Niranjan Mishra said the Health Department is monitoring the situation closely and keeping track of flyers coming from other countries on a regular basis. Even as a Covid-19 negative certificate is a must for flyers coming from foreign countries, they will still have to undergo quarantine for seven days.
For international travellers testing positive, genome sequencing will be carried out to ascertain the new variant. The Health and Family Welfare department has asked all district administrations and municipal commissioners to stay in readiness to deal effectively with the situation, he said.
Mishra also urged people to not let their guard down and follow Covid safety protocols every time and everywhere to keep the transmission in check.