Even if you don't have COVID...: Biocon chief on 6-hr wait at airports amid Omicron threat

Biocon executive chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw on Wednesday flagged long-hour waits at airports for international passengers amid government's strict COVID-19 guidelines following Omicron threat across the world.

Taking to Twitter, Mazumdar-Shaw said that passengers are likely to get the COVID-19 infection due to almost 6 hours of wait at airports after arrival, as reports suggested.

"Even if you did not have the infection, you are likely to acquire it at the airport!," the Biocon chief tweeted after new travel regulations kicked in from 1 December. RPG Group chairperson Harsh Goenka retweeted her tweet.

On Tuesday, Mazumdar-Shaw had also urged the government to "understand that vaccinations will safeguard people, not travel restrictions" after the Union Health Ministry had asked states and Union Territories to ensure RT-PCR tests for travellers coming from 'at-risk' countries on the first day of arrival and retesting on the eighth day.

"The 7 day home quarantine for negative tests is an overkill. Pls understand that vaccinations will safeguard people not travel restrictions," she had tweeted earlier.

The order also stated that if a passenger is found negative, he or she will undergo a seven-day home quarantine and be re-tested on the eighth day. State officials will physically visit their homes to ensure effective home isolation, the government mandated.

Under the new norms, RT-PCR tests are mandatory for passengers arriving from 'at-risk' countries and they will be allowed to leave the airport only after the test results come. Also, randomly five per cent of the passengers arriving in flights from other countries will be subject to the test.

Earlier, government had advised international passengers from 'at-risk' countries to prepare to wait at the airports till the report of the RT-PCR test has come and not book connecting flights beforehand.

Further, the ministry had asked states to send all positive samples for genome sequencing to INSACOG Labs (mapped with states) promptly.

International airports in the national capital and other parts of the country have made preparations for implementation of the new norms. Officials on Tuesday said the Delhi international airport has made arrangements to accommodate at the airport up to 1,500 international passengers at a time, including those coming from 'at-risk' countries, till results of their RT-PCR tests taken after arrival are declared.

Each passenger who will undergo the RT-PCR test will be charged around Rs 1,700. The amount includes charges for the RT-PCR test, and food and water during their stay at the airport till the test results come, they said.

An Airports Authority of India (AAI) spokesperson said all AAI airports that have international operations are "fully prepared" to implement the guidelines issued by the Union government in coordination with state authorities.

With inputs from agencies