12 airports in North East under strict vigil

    04-Mar-2020
Guwahati, Mar 4
Amid the coronavirus outbreak in China and other countries, the Airports Authority of India (AAI), along with the State Governments, have been maintaining a strict vigilance in all the 12 functional airports in the North East, officials said on Wednesday.
To curb the threat of COVID-19, authorities have set up several screening and testing centres along the borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, which shares frontiers along the seven North Eastern States.
In Manipur, Dr Laishram Arke, Additional Director Public Health, said the thermal screening of tourists were being carried out in entry and exit points of the state, including the Imphal Airport and Moreh town, bordering Myanmar.
He said as many as 352 passengers who had entered Manipur from Singapore, Myanmar, and Singapore were under surveillance and 179 passengers had completed observation. Highlighting the preparedness of the State, the Additional Director said the Government had acquired 1000 N-95 masks and 7000 triple-layer masks while saying the Department was facing a shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) suits.
In nearby Tripura, the State Health Department has screened over 15,000 persons who have traveled to the State since January 29. Health and Family Welfare Director Dr Radha Debbarma said 23 persons have been identified to have visited countries affected with novel coronavirus like China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand recently. “We advised them to stay on self-observation for 14 days. Our experts are monitoring the situation closely,” Dr Debbarma said.
AAI Regional Executive Director Sanjeev Jindal said there are two international airports in the North East -- Guwahati and Imphal -- but no international flight is currently operating in Imphal, while no other airline except Bhutan's Drukair operates their flights between Guwahati, Singapore, Thailand and Bhutan. "Though no passenger has yet come directly to the North East from the coronavirus-affected countries, our personnel deployed in the medical and screening counters in all the 12 functional airports in North Eastern States are screening the incoming passengers," Jindal said. He said even domestic passengers, especially those who are suspected of having any symptoms, are being screened at the airports.     Agencies