Kochi: With three passengers, who had recently landed at the Cochin International Airport (CIAL) from Italy, testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) infection along with two of their relatives, the Ernakulam district administration has decided to enforce strict vigil in the region.
District Collector S Suhas convened an emergency meeting with officials of the airport and the health department on Sunday soon after Health Minister K K Shailaja confirmed infection on the five Pathanamthitta natives.
The airport authorities have decided to enforce more precautionary measures including disinfection.
The collector said the details of all the 182 passengers of the Kochi-bound flight from Doha, in which the three infected passengers flew, have been collected. All of them have been issued certain precautionary guidelines, a press statement said.
The infected passengers – a man, his wife and son – landed in the Cochin International Airport at 8.30 am on February 29 by QR 514 Doha to Kochi flight. They had reached Doha from Venice. They were tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday night.
They left for Pathanamthitta in their own vehicle, according to a government statement.
The collector said the details of their co-passengers will be handed over to the authorities of respective districts.
Universal screening
According to an airport spokesperson, universal screening of passengers has been implemented at the airport from March 3. This means, all passengers, including those who land at domestic terminals from foreign countries via connecting flights, will be screened.
Before March 3, there were in-flight announcements and intimation at immigration counters for the passengers coming from countries like Italy to undergo screening. However, the three people, who have been tested positive for the infection later, failed to report their travel details before the officials.
Apart from the procedures like universal screening and facilitating all pax to fill forms about their travel/contact details, the airport on Sunday decided to implement the following procedures with immediate effect:
1. The flights arriving from Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore will be given dedicated parking bay and dedicated aerobridge. (parking bay 19 and 20, aerobridge 1 and 2)
2. The passengers arriving from Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore will be given dedicated health screen counters, immigration counters, hand baggage screening X-ray and registered baggage belts. They need to be segregated from the other international arriving passengers.
3. After the last passenger arrival of these flights , disinfection process will be carried by CIAL Pest Management Team as per the direction of APHO inside the Aero Bridge and later in the arrival areas (arrival health and immigration areas, customs areas, X-ray, baggage trolleys, wash rooms etc).
The collector has also instructed the employees as well as the public who had been at the airport on February 29 morning to contact the health department if they develop any symptom of the disease. Those with symptoms can contact doctors at the Disha number – 1056.
Earlier in the day, minister Shailaja had slammed the infected family for not reporting at the airport flouting directives from the authorities. The minister said COVID-19 precautionary measures have been strengthened in the state with the new cases. She said those who coming to Kerala from corona-infected countries would be booked if they don't report to the authorities concerned.
