India News | Himanta Appeals to People Returning to State by Flight to Stagger Their Visits
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday appealed to people planning to return to the state by flights to stagger their visits to enable the government to put proper arrangements in place.
Guwahati, May 24 (PTI) Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday appealed to people planning to return to the state by flights to stagger their visits to enable the government to put proper arrangements in place.
Resumption of flights from Monday is the biggest challenge in the fight against COVID-19 and "we will have to initially operate in an environment of uncertainties as we have not been provided with a list of passengers to make the necessary arrangements", the minister said at a press conference here.
Flights will operate regularly and "so I appeal to those planning to come to stagger their journey so that we can tide over the initial uncertainties and ensure proper arrangements", Sarma said.
"The passenger lists or manifest is usually released four hours before departure and we are uncertain about the number of passengers likely to arrive", he said.
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According to a conservative estimate, "we are expecting not less than two thousand passengers and all will have to be quarantined which is going to be a big challenge for us", he said.
"We are committed to ensure that the people of Assam are not infected by COVID-19 and for that the people coming from outside will have to be quarantined. If we do not do this, our efforts of the last two months will be washed away", he said.
The need for quarantine has further increased as all seats have been opened for booking and social distancing will not be maintained though masks, gloves and screens will be mandatory.
"Monday will be a crucial day for us and it will take nearly 24 hours to clear the passengers after their screening, sample collection and sending them for quarantine", he said.
The quarantine facilities for the flight passengers will be in hotels, educational and other institutions.
The minister said that the pilots, crew and others directly or indirectly associated with the operation of flights will be completely exempted from quarantine.
Others who will be completely exempted from quarantine are those who arrive in the morning and return by evening flights, subject to a declaration at the airport after screening.
"If they violate it, criminal charges will be brought against them by the Assam government", he said. Anybody coming on government duty will also be given complete exemption but their parent department has to ensure that they are kept in an isolated place, they do not mingle with anybody in the city and the health department has to be informed, the minister said.
Anybody coming from abroad and have completed their 14 days quarantine in Delhi need not go for institutional quarantine but will have to go for home quarantine, he said. Others who are exempted from institutional quarantine are those whose parents are hospitalised, in case of death or funeral rites of immediate relatives, any senior citizen above the age of 75, pregnant women, disabled persons and children below the age of ten along with their parents will have to be in home quarantine, Sarma added.
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