R. ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, MAY 24
As the domestic air travel is all set to commence across the country from tomorrow, states are coming out with their own set of guidelines for all passengers using flights.
Tamil Nadu government too come up with protocols that all passengers coming to the state or leaving the state have to follow. This includes all the precautionary and preventive measures that need to be taken to curb the novel Coronavirus transmission.
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for incoming and outgoing passengers issued by the government.
The guidelines for the domestic air travel to Tamil Nadu are:
All passengers who will land in Tamil Nadu will have to register themselves on TNePass portal https://tnepass.tnega.org and fill in all their details after they have booked their flight tickets. After applying to the portal, passengers have to sign a declaration that states that they have not living in a containment zone, they do not have any fever or other COVID-19 symptoms, have been tested for Coronavirus or have not been asked to keep themselves under quarantine.
Other than this, passengers also have to declare that if asked by state authorities, they will quarantine themselves. Also, they have to inform that they are eligible to travel.
If any information provided by passengers turns out to be incorrect, they shall be liable for penal action. If more than one member of a family is travelling, their information will be given on TNePass portal under ‘add family member.’
The state government will issue a travel permit with a QR code which will be sent to passengers’ email address or mobile number. Details of entry pass will have to be provided to airport authorities before taking a boarding pass.
Once the flight lands in Tamil Nadu, passengers will have to show the registration on TNePass portal before exiting the airport. Medical screenings will take place in the state’s airport and asymptomatic persons will have to quarantine themselves for 14 days after arrival. If a person does not have a house or a place to self-quarantine, he/she will have to update the information on the portal and have to go for paid quarantine facilities like hotels.
After entering the state, travellers using their own car or rented car, will have to provide car details on the portal.
Pick-ups by a driver or any one else (one person allowed to pick a passenger) will have to stand in designated spots in order to maintain social distancing measures.
All passengers leaving from Tamil Nadu airports will have to go to stipulated health tests before boarding the flight.
Guidelines for airport authorities
All airports should have provision of infrared thermometers to check the temperature of passengers.
A proper queue should be maintained at all times at the airport to maintain social distancing.
Airport officials directly dealing with the passengers shall use protective gears, PPE and face masks.
Symptomatic patients will have to be taken to isolation facilities by airport staff members.
All luggage will be disinfected at the airport.
Any airport official who is facing any symptom for COVID-19 infection should immediately get tested via RT-PCR test.
Passengers will be sent to health check-up desks in a group of 20 as per social distancing protocols.
All these measures listed by the Tamil Nadu government should be adhered to by all passengers in order to avoid any kind of possible transmission. It is to note that the protocol will be strictly enforced after the airlines are resuming operations after two months of being suspended, says the SOP issued by the Tamil Nadu government on Sunday night.
