As cases of omicron have surfaced in the national capital, Delhi airport authorities are gearing up to crack down on passengers ignoring the seven-day home quarantine rules after arriving from “at-risk” countries.
A senior Delhi airport official said they have been receiving complaints of passengers coming from ‘at risk’ countries and not following the seven-day home quarantine rule. Many of them were found meeting people and visiting places during the quarantine period.
“The district administration and Delhi Police have been asked to verify and report the status of people under mandatory home quarantine. If they are found violating the COVID-19 protocol, action will be taken against them,” said a senior official at the Delhi airport.
“Complaints of violation of quarantine rule were found common among local people, who have come recently from ‘at risk’ countries. They have filled the self-declaration form mentioning their location and address before leaving the airport. If need be, strict action will be taken against such people. In case of foreign travelers, they submit their hotel booking details with the authorities at the airport, which can be easily verified.”
More than 1,000 passengers arrive at Delhi airport daily. “We have directed hotels to provide all possible assistance to foreign travelers who are spending their quarantine period in hotels,” the official said.
Eleven countries have been placed in the “at risk” category. Passengers arriving from these countries need to follow additional measures upon arrival in India, including post-arrival testing.
On December 5, Delhi reported its first case of omicron, when a man from Tanzania was found infected and admitted to the national capital’s Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital.
The new version of COVID-19 was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) from South Africa on 25 November. According to WHO, the first known B.1.1.1.529 infection was from a sample collected on November 9 this year. On 26 November, WHO named the new COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529, which has been detected in South Africa as ‘Omicron’. The WHO has classified Omicron as having a ‘type of concern’.
,With ANI inputs,
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