Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Dec 9: In the light of the increasing incidences of the Omicron variants of the Covid19 virus, Mangaluru International Airport has set up a dedicated space at the airport terminal for testing international passengers.

Chief airport officer Nirav Shah on Wednesday December 8 informed mediapersons that the arrangements at the airport are according to the latest guidelines from the government. He said that till Wednesday, 10 passengers had arrived from countries at risk and all of them had tested negative for Covid-19. Shah also added that 64 passengers have tested for 2% of random testing from non-risk countries.

Unlike earlier where Covid test was done after a passenger had completed his immigration and customs checking, following the new guidelines, all passengers will be screened by the airport health officer at the arrival gate itself. Passengers from high risk countries will be tested with Rapid RT-PCR and 2% of random passengers with RT-PCR. Passengers from the high risk countries will be allowed to leave only after obtaining test results, which takes about 40 minutes.

Shah said that sanitization and cleanliness requirements in addition to refreshments, currency exchange and as well isolation rooms have been taken care of at the place where the passengers will get seated. These facilities will help the passengers arriving from abroad to be safe and take care of their health.