BUDGAM: Since the fall out of Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent resumption of flights, the UT Administration has facilitated arrival of total 100057 passengers from May 25, 2020 to July 24, 2020 at Srinagar International Airport from within and outside India under strict protocols, reads a communiqué issued by DIPR-JK.
The UT administration had to face a lot of challenges in containing the spread of this dreaded disease and lots of initiatives were taken particularly formulating a comprehensive fool proof plan in instantly establishing requisite number of quarantine, wellness and Sample collection centers.
Among all such challenges, the management of arrival of stranded passengers of J&K amid pandemic was a bit more challenging and the administration put elaborate arrangements for COVID mitigation which includes on spot e-registration of each passenger at arrival, ICMR devised application based data entry at testing channel and transportation of passengers to designated quarantine centers at district level.
The Srinagar airport received 753 domestic and 15 international flights from May 25, 2020 to July 24, 2020 including those evacuated under Vande Bharat Mission for stranded passengers in various countries and out of 40304 samples collected at the airport 351 have tested positive till July 22, 2020.
The testing at the airport is mandatory for passengers coming from outside the J&K with administrative quarantine till the test reports are negative, the mandatory testing at the airport has allowed administration to successfully detect and isolate positive cases under a proactive strategy for COVID-19 mitigation in J&K.
Out of 40304 sampled passengers, 34199 persons have undergone administrative quarantine while 5927 and 144 persons were placed in home and protective quarantine respectively as per SOPs issued by the Divisional Administration.
The Administration proactively executed all arrangements which include establishing of special help desks, sample collection kiosks, providing transport facilities to the passengers who were subjected for administrative or home quarantine.
Nodal Officer and Incharge Srinagar International Airport, Muzafer Ahmad Peer stated that the testing Kiosks of health department and RTC buses for transportation of passengers to quarantine centers are placed at the arrival area of the Srinagar Airport for facilitating the passengers effectively.
On arrival, passengers have hailed the efforts and arrangements executed by the Administration, particularly facilitating comfortable sampling, testing on the arrival.
