NEW DELHI, Mar 21: Chaotic scenes were witnessed at Delhi airport on Saturday as passengers from the UK, US and Australia had to wait for hours to get through the screening process made mandatory by the Government to check for the coronavirus infection.
Many passengers took to Twitter to share their ordeal, like how they were made to stand in long queues for hours without food and water.
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, however, said the Government has increased facilities as well as the number of doctors for the mandatory secondary screening at the airport.
Chaitanya Kabra, one of the passengers at the airport, said it took him more than 12 hours to get through the screening process.
“We landed at 7 am today and were made to stand in a long que for temperature check. After that we were made to sit in arrival hall for 3 hours, still with no medical check ups and amongst undeclared symtomatic people,” he wrote on Twitter.
“Danger of virus spreading is highest at Delhi Airport coz you are made to stand with 400 people for more than 12 hours,” he added.
Another passenger, Abhishek Girdhar, posted a short video showing people sitting in an airport hall extremely close to each other.
Tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he tweeted, “Dear sir, social distancing is advised but this is how immigration area at delhi airport looks like. People are this close physically to each other for 15 hours in stretch. This will not control but spread the virus.”
A user posted on the social networking site how her brother, who landed at Delhi airport at 11.30 this morning, was still in the immigration line with no food and water.
“The situation is too bad. No social distancing. Please help,” Akansha Jain posted on Twitter tagging PM Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Delhi airport and Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.
The Civil Aviation minister on late Saturday night said 40 health counters are now operational at the airport. These will be further increased to 60 and 1,000 passengers can get clearance every hour, he said.
“Before the week long ban on international flights, there is a surge in numbers of passengers. While things are smooth at other airports, in Delhi the situation is crowded but orderly,” he noted.
“Health Authorities, @AAI_Official and Airport Operators are fully on top of the situation. Extra seating arrangements have been done. Passengers are being given water and food packets. This is an extraordinary situation which requires patience and cooperation from everyone,” he tweeted.
The Union Health Ministry on Friday announced that travellers from the UK, US and Australia will also undergo the screening process amid the rising coronavirus cases in India.
Passengers arriving from 12 countries — China, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Iran, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Nepal and Indonesia — are already being screened at the airport.
The screening process is being handled by Government authorities, including CISF, Airport Health Organization (APHO), Delhi Government, Bureau of Immigration, etc. (PTI)
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