Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal will not immediately restart domestic flights
States such as Maharashtra have only allowed a few flights each day from Mumbai airportIndian skies opened up for domestic passenger services from today after a hiatus of two months due to coronavirus-induced lockdown across India. Indigo’s Delhi-Pune and Mumbai-Patna flights were among the first to take off. Most of the states in India have given go ahead to the flight resumption services from Monday. The two exceptions being Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.Various states have also put in place protocols for incoming air travelers. Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal will not immediately restart domestic flights, civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri said. States such as Maharashtra have only allowed a few flights each day from Mumbai airport, India’s second busiest. Andhra Pradesh will start resume flights from 26 May, and West Bengal from 28 May.All scheduled commercial passenger flights have been suspended since March 25 when the government imposed a nationwide lockdown to curb the coronavirus pandemic.As flights resume, these are state-wise rules and protocols for flyers:
Tripura
Domestic air operations will not resume in Tripura from Monday as all flights operating to and from Agartala stand cancelled, according to Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) Airport’s officials. Services were halted as all the flights are connected to Kolkata and the Kolkata airport is not available till May 27, in view of cyclone Amphan.
Tamil Nadu
It is mandatory for all the domestic air travellers flying into Tamil Nadu to register their details online in TNePass Portal. After obtaining the flight tickets, the travellers shall register their details in TNe-pass portal following the link https://tnepass.tneaa.orq duly selecting the airport of arrival in Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu government has decided to allow only 25 domestic flights per day to Chennai, no restrictions for Covai, Madurai & Trichy sectors. Flights from Maharashtra & Gujarat may be kept at the “barest minimum possible,” no restrictions for outgoing flights.
Maharashtra
The Maharashtra government on Sunday said it will allow 25 passenger flights to take off from and as many to land in Mumbai from Monday, adding that the number will be increased gradually.
Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik said the state has agreed for 25 departures and an equal number of arrivals each day from Mumbai.
Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said that limited flights will operate from Mumbai as per the approved 1/3 rd schedule from other airports in the state.
The Mumbai airport has even offered two slots per day to Air India from Monday in place of 10 slots offered earlier. One slot will be used for operating wide-body aircraft between Delhi and Mumbai preferably in the evening.
Uttar Pradesh
In Uttar Pradesh, travellers to the state will be under home quarantine for 14 days unless they are staying for less than a week or if they clear the coronavirus test earlier. They can get themselves tested for the virus on the sixth day from their arrival and end their quarantine if the results come out negative, PTI quoted Principal Secretary Medical and Health Amit Mohan Prasad as saying.
Outsiders on visits of less than a week to the state need not go into quarantine if they furnish details of their return journey. All passengers coming to UP will have to register themselves on http://reg.upcovid.in and furnish details of themselves and family members travelling with them. A message will be displayed on their phones after this and CISF personnel will let them leave the airport only after checking it.
West Bengal
Government officials said on Sunday night that airports in Kolkata and Bagdogra in cyclone-hit West Bengal will not operate any domestic flights between May 25 and 27 but will handle 20 flights each per day from May 28.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee earlier said that she will urge the Centre to postpone the resumption of domestic flight services at Kolkata and Bagdogra airports by a few days.
Karnataka
In Karnataka, anyone coming from states where there is “high prevalence” of Covid-19 will be kept in institutional quarantine for seven days and if tested Covid-negative, the passenger will have to spend the next seven days in home quarantine. Karnataka has classified Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh as “high prevalence” states. The passengers coming through remaining states in the country will have to undergo 14 days of home quarantine. However, special cases where businessmen are coming for urgent work will not require to undergo any quarantine if they bring test results that are not more than two days old.
Himachal Pradesh
In Himachal Pradesh, the Dharamshala administration has said only persons with a valid address proof of the state should book tickets to the city and the flyer will have to obtain a district entry-pass. Dharamshala will have two flights from Delhi and one from Chandigarh daily.
The incoming person will have to obtain an entry pass from the concerned district administration, which will have to be shown on de-boarding the flight at Gaggal airport of Dharamshala.
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand has announced institutional quarantine for all incoming passengers.
Andhra Pradesh
Passengers coming to Andhra Pradesh will be put under home quarantine. However, once their test results for Covid-19 come negative, they will be relieved from quarantine.
Jammu and Kashmir
The J&K government informed that all passengers coming to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) by train or domestic flights will be kept in institutional quarantine for 14 days and will be tested for coronavirus using RTPCR test. If tested negative they will be sent home otherwise to a hospital. Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, too, announced similar precautionary measures.
Kerala
Kerala announced all travellers have to register online and undergo home quarantine for two weeks. However, the government has made an exception for those coming for business purposes or for a short duration.
The state’s health minister KK Shailaja has announced that “Even if the domestic flight services resume, those coming in must remain under strict home quarantine as per the guidelines… [Since] most people will be coming from the major hotspots of the country.”
Delhi
As per the guidelines similar to that released by the home ministry earlier, asymptomatic passengers can exit the IGI airport after the mandatory thermal screening. Passengers with mild symptoms can home-isolate or choose government or private facility, the guidelines stated. Moreover, appropriate medical health will be provided to those showing symptoms. People showing severe symptoms will be isolated and taken to a government facility.
Punjab
In Punjab, all incoming passengers will be screened. Those found symptomatic would be sent into institutional quarantine, while the others will have to undergo a mandatory 14-day home quarantine.
Bihar
The Bihar government said that 34 flights will operate from Patna’s JP airport that boarding pass will act as a permission pass.
Domestic travellers will be placed in home quarantines, while international travellers can use institutional quarantine.
The state government further said travellers will be put on “paid quarantine” for 14 days.
The first flight to Patna will arrive from Mumbai early Monday morning.
Chhattisgarh
The Chhattisgarh government said those showing no symptoms would be placed in 14-day quarantine at government centres, homes or paid facilities. Passengers will have to submit a written undertaking they will strictly follow isolation norms.
“Baggage will be sanitised at the airport and only select vehicles whose details are with the transport department will be allowed to pick and drop passengers,” General Administration Department Secretary Dr Kamalpreet Singh said.
Assam
Assam will be putting flyers on a 14-day quarantine. The passengers will be distributed equally in home quarantine and government quarantine.
“The pilot[s] and crew members and other engineering staff of a flight will not be quarantined. They will come into an isolated way to the hotel and go back. But excluding them, every traveller in Assam will be quarantined,” state health minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma said. This could mean some form of institutional quarantine as Biswa went on to say: “The state government will cover the expenditures of the people coming into the state from outside including food, hotel rent during the quarantine period… The state has allowed district deputy commissioners to spend a maximum Rs.500 for food per person per day and Rs.200 for hotel rent under facility quarantine. The deputy commissioners will also spend a maximum Rs.2,000 against the people under home quarantine.”
Gurugram
If you’re flying to Delhi to head to Gurugram, note that the administration has not only made a 14-day home quarantine mandatory for those coming on flights, but those arriving at Delhi airport will also need to apply for a movement pass to enter Gururam. Passengers need to acquire one at least two days ahead of arrival on the Saral Haryana website.
Revised Guidelines for domestic travel (air/train/inter-state bus travel)
1) Dos and Don’ts shall be provided along with tickets to the travellers by the agencies concerned.
2) All passengers shall be advised to download Arogya Setu app on their mobile devices.
3) Suitable announcement about COVID-19 including precautionary measures to be followed shall be made at airports/railway station/bus terminals and in flights/trains/bus.
4) The States/UTs shall ensure that all passengers shall undergo thermal screening at the point of departure and only asymptomatic passengers are allowed to board the flight/train/bus.
5) During boarding and travel, all passengers shall use face covers/mask. They will also follow hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene and maintain environmental hygiene.
6) At airports/railway stations/ bus terminals required measures to ensure social distancing shall be taken.
7) Airports/railway stations/bus terminals should be regularly sanitized/disinfected and availability of soaps and sanitizers shall be ensured.
8) Thermal screening at exit point shall be arranged.
9) Asymptomatic passengers will be permitted to go with the advice that they shall self-monitor their health for 14 days. In case, they develop any symptoms, they shall inform the district surveillance officer or the state/national call center (1075).
10) Those found symptomatic will be isolated and taken to the nearest health facility. They will be assessed for clinical severity at the health facility.
11) Those having moderate or severe symptoms will be admitted to dedicated COVID Health facilities and managed accordingly.
12) Those having mild symptoms will be given the option of home isolation or isolated in the Covid Care Centre (both public & private facilities) as appropriate and tested as per ICMR protocol. If positive, they will continue in COVID Care Centre and will be managed as per clinical protocol. If negative, the passenger may be allowed to go home, isolate himself/herself and self-monitor his/her health for further 7 days. In case, any symptoms develop they shall inform the district surveillance officer or the state/national call center (1075).
Govt has also given states power to develop their own protocol with regards to quarantine and isolation as per their assessment.
It was announced last Thursday that one-third of pre-lockdown domestic flights will operate from Monday. All international scheduled commercial passenger flights remain suspended.
