Coronavirus outbreak: DGCA issues advisory to airlines, airports to prevent spread of infection
They have been told to provide protective gear such as surgical masks and gloves to crew members and passengers.
India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Tuesday told airlines and airports to take certain measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus cases across the country, PTI reported.
They have been told to provide protective gear such as surgical masks and gloves to crew members and passengers, besides placing multiple hand sanitising points across airports.
The coronavirus outbreak, which emerged in China’s Wuhan province late in 2019, has killed more than 3,100 people across the world, and more than 90,000 people have been infected. While most of these cases were initially reported from China, the virus has spread to at least 75 other countries.
All aircraft that arrive from South Korea, Japan or Italy must be disinfected before the next set of passengers begin to board, the regulator told airports and airlines in its advisory.
“All ground handling staff entering inbound and outbound international flights shall be provided with personnel protective equipments (PPEs) and such PPEs shall be disposed of in an appropriate manner after each flight,” the circular added. Masks, gloves and disposable shoe covers are known as personnel protective equipments.
On Tuesday, India’s Ministry of Health said that six suspected cases of coronavirus have been detected in Agra during sample testing. These patients came in contact with an individual who had tested positive for the virus, officially named COVID-19, in Delhi a day earlier. Three new cases – one each in New Delhi, Telangana and Rajasthan – were reported in India on Monday.
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Tourists, tour operators under quarantine
Meanwhile, officials said that 21 Italian tourists and three Indian tour operators were sent to an Indo Tibetan Border Police quarantine facility in Delhi on Tuesday. These people were a part of the group to which the Italian tourist and his wife who tested positive in Rajasthan’s Jaipur on Monday belonged. They were staying at a five-star hotel in Delhi and were put in “preventive isolation”, according to PTI. Their test results are expected on Wednesday.
Delhi hotel staff to quarantine themselves for 14 days
Five-star hotel Hyatt Regency in Delhi has put in place elevated precautionary operational protocols after one of its customers tested positive for the virus, according to NDTV. The hotel has asked its employees who were present at the time, on February 28, to quarantine themselves for 14 days.
“Government authorities recently confirmed that an individual who dined at La Piazza restaurant at Hyatt Regency Delhi on February 28, 2020, has been diagnosed with COVID-19,” Hyatt Regency Delhi’s Area VP and General Manager Julian Ayers said in a statement. “All colleagues who were present at the restaurant on February 28, 2020, have been asked to self-quarantine for 14 days. Hyatt Regency Delhi has also started to conduct daily temperature checks for all colleagues and contractors when they enter and exit the building.”
Mangaluru on alert
The seaport and airport in Mangaluru were put under high alert, News18 reported, citing officials. Besides Dakshina Kannada district, Udupi, Kodagu, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru areas of Karnataka are also on alert.
The Karnataka and the Telangana government have both reviewed their preparedness after a Bengaluru-based man tested positive for COVID-19 in Hyderabad.