In light of China's COVID-19 wave, India's Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) will ensure that two percent of the total passengers in a flight undergo COVID tests at the airport on arrival, as per a government advisory issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Who will select the passengers for sample collection? The advisory said that such passengers will be identified by the airline and will be allowed to leave the airport after giving a sample to the concerned authorities.
It added, samples which test positive will be sent for genome sequencing.
How many COVID-19 cases are there currently? The advisory read, "Globally, the number of new cases of COVID-19 continue to remain alarmingly high, with around 5.9,00,00 daily new cases reported on average during the week ending on 19 December. The spike in trajectory of COVID-19 is particularly concerning with respect to Japan, United States of America, South Korea, Brazil, France and China where cases are increasing in a sustained manner."
When will this arrangement come into practice? This will come into practice with effect from 10 am on Saturday, 24 December.
What has Prime Minister Narendra Modi said? In a meeting with senior officials, PM Modi advised people to adher to COVID-appropriate behaviour including wearing of mask and stressed on the precaution dose for elderly and vulnerable groups.
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