As Tamil Nadu opened its skies for domestic air travel on Monday, passengers arriving in the state faced a chaotic situation overall.
The government of Tamil Nadu released a Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) recently for passengers arriving in Tamil Nadu in domestic flights. The state has made an E-pass mandatory for anybody who travels to Tamil Nadu’s airports.
According to the SOP, all passengers will be subject to thermal screening at the airport and if found asymptomatic will have to undergo 14-day home/institutional quarantine. Symptomatic passengers will be taken to the hospital for COVID-19 treatment. All the passengers will be stamped with 'Quarantine' seal with date with indelible ink, before they are allowed to move out of the airport.
However, it has been understood that districts have made slight tweaks to the SOP, making it stricter according to the situation prevailing in the districts.
TNM contacted all four major airports in Tamil Nadu to know about what the passengers landing in these airports can expect in terms of COVID-19-related protocols.
Chennai has restricted daily arrivals and departures to the bare minimum with around 40 flights operating in and out of the airport since Monday.
As far as Chennai is concerned, all passengers are screened using thermal devices and only those with symptoms are made to undergo RT-PCR test (Swab test). If the passenger tests positive for COVID-19, he/she will be taken to a hospital. If the test returns negative, then he/she will be advised to be under home quarantine for 14 days.
For passengers returning from other states, only symptomatic passengers are subjected to swab test. Asymptomatic passengers are instructed to be on home quarantine for 14 days.
All passengers who arrive at Coimbatore international airport are screened and asked to undergo compulsory RT-PCR testing (Swab test).
Till the results come, all passengers will be housed in institutional quarantine facilities based on their choice of free or paid facilities.
If the results return positive, the passenger will be shifted to a hospital. If the results return negative, the passenger will be allowed to go home and be in home quarantine for 14 days.
TNM spoke to TG Vinay, the District Collector of Madurai about the procedure passengers landing in Madurai airport from other districts and states should follow.
All passengers landing in Madurai airport will be subjected to thermal screening.
Passengers flying in from other districts in Tamil Nadu will be made to undergo RT-PCR (Swab) test only if they have symptoms. If the test results return positive, the passenger will be shifted to a hospital. If the test returns negative for COVID-19, they shall be under home quarantine for 14 days. Asymptomatic passengers will not be tested and will be allowed to be under home quarantine for 14 days.
All passengers coming from other states will be subject to RT-PCR (swab) test. If the test results return positive, the passenger will be shifted to a hospital. If the test returns negative for COVID-19, they shall be under home quarantine for 14 days.
All passengers coming to Madurai airport from hotspot states like Maharashtra, Delhi and Gujarat will be made to undergo RT-PCR test. All of them, irrespective of the results of the test, shall undergo mandatory seven-day institutional quarantine in a free government facility or a paid government facility as per their choice. After seven days, they will be tested again and if the test returns positive, they will be moved to a hospital. If the test returns negative, the passenger will be allowed to be under home quarantine for 14 days.
As per information provided to TNM by Trichy airport authorities, all passengers landing in the airport from other districts and states will be subject to thermal screening.
If they are symptomatic, they will be made to undergo RT-PCR test and shifted to a hospital if the test returns positive for COVID-19.
Asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to be under home quarantine for 14 days.