Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi (SHP)

New Delhi, Jul 12: Officials from the ministry of civil aviation have told the airlines that the passengers who submit a self-declaration form of not being corona-positive during the three weeks prior to the departure date are to be allowed to board the flight.

On May 21, the government had made it mandatory for all passengers to submit a self-declaration form before boarding a flight. The form would state the status of not testing positive for coronavirus during the two months prior to the departure date.

A report by PTI stated that the officials felt a need to update the rules pertaining to the self-declaration form. A major reason for the same being that there are a large number of people in India who have recovered from the deadly virus and the new announcement would prevent them from suffering any issues before boarding a flight.

Therefore, a few days back, the government told the airlines that passengers need to give a declaration that 'they have not tested positive for COVID-19 in the last three weeks' prior to the flight, the officials said.

"Persons who have recovered from COVID-19 and who fulfil the three-week criteria will be allowed to travel by flights if they show a COVID-recovery or COVID-discharge certificate from their hospital," they mentioned.

India resumed its flight operations for domestic travel from May 25 after a gap of two months. However, international flight operations continue to remain suspended.

With a continuous rise in cases, India has made its way into the top 3 of countries with the highest number of coronavirus cases. While over 8.2 lac people have tested positive for the virus, around 5.15 lac have recovered. This brings the recovery rate to 63 per cent. On the other hand, India has recorded more than 22,000 deaths due to the virus in the country.