Kochi airport tightens COVID-19 screening, six staff in home quarantine

Five new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Kerala after a family of three returned from Italy recently.
Kochi airport tightens COVID-19 screening, six staff in home quarantine
Kochi airport tightens COVID-19 screening, six staff in home quarantine
Written by:

The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has identified and put under quarantine six airport staff who had come in contact with the three passengers from Italy who tested positive for the coronavirus. The six were identified by retracing the movement of the family within the airport using CCTV footage. All six have been home quarantined for two weeks as a precaution. The Kochi airport in the meantime has tightened passenger screening and introduced new measures.

The CIAL director ACK Nair informed the media after meeting with Kochi district officials on Sunday that the CCTV footage showed the family come in contact with the aerobridge staff.

One security personnel, a ground booking staff and an emigration counter official had come in contact with the family. CCTV footage also showed that the family had visited the airport’s duty-free shop where they came in contact with the staff. The director said that all airport staff on duty the day the family arrived have been instructed to undergo check-ups.

The three-member family landed at the Kochi airport on February 29 at 8:30 am from Venice in Italy via Doha. The family hailing from Pathanamthitta, however, failed to disclose their travel history to authorities and avoided screening. Two neighbours also tested positive for the virus, and all five are presently undergoing treatment.

It was only three days later on March 3 that CIAL initiated universal screening at the airport, making it mandatory for all international passengers and those landing at domestic terminals from foreign countries via connecting flights to undergo screening. Until March only those from countries where COVID-19 (the official name of the disease) was reported had to undergo screening.

Kochi airport has taken new measures in the wake of the family slipping through and has now set up a dedicated aeroplane parking bay and aerobridge for flights arriving from Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. A dedicated health screening and immigration counter, hand baggage screening X-Ray and baggage belt that is segregated from other international passengers arriving at the airport has also been set up.

After the last passenger arrives, a disinfection process will be carried out by the CIAL Pest Management Team as per the direction of the Airport Health Organisation (APHO) inside the  Aero Bridge and later in the arrival areas (arrival health and immigration areas, customs area, X-ray, Baggage trolleys, washrooms etc ), said airport officials in a press statement.

In the meantime, as part of the precautionary protocol, two more persons have been admitted to the isolation ward at Kalamassery Medical College. While eight suspected cases have been admitted at this hospital, a total of 152 persons are under house quarantine and under observation, reported TNIE.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The News Minute
www.thenewsminute.com