Protest at Amritsar airport over delay in Covid-19 tests

Chandigarh, Dec 22 India-bound passengers from Britain and their relatives on Tuesday protested over the "inordinate" delay in carrying out the mandatory coronavirus test on arrival at the Sri Guru Ramdas Jee International Airport in Punjab's Amritsar city.

However, no passenger travelling on the London-Amritsar flight tested positive for Covid-19.

The Air India flight with 250 passengers and 18 crew members on board landed at the Amritsar airport, some 250 km from the state capital, early on Tuesday.

The family members said the passengers had to wait for several hours first to undergo test for the virus and then to get the results.

"It took more than eight hours for my nephew and his family, comprising a child, to get the clearance from the airport authorities to check out," Gurdev Singh, a resident of Jalandhar city, said.

He said there was no communication from the airport authorities to the family members of the passengers regarding their exit.

"All family members were desperately making calls to those passengers who were carrying Indian mobile numbers to know the status of the stranded passengers," another family member Rajmeet Bhullar added.

Reports also said that several passengers even protested the need to conduct the coronavirus test on arrival.

Family members, desperately awaiting their arrival, raised slogans against the airport authorities.

Amritsar's Assistant Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal, however, told the media that the coronavirus tests started soon after the flight landed.

"Each passenger and crew member underwent a RT-PCR test and was provided food. Their family members were accordingly informed about their well-being and status of their exit," he added.

In view of the emergence of a new coronavirus strain in the UK, the Indian government on Monday announced that all flights from Britain will be suspended from December 23 to December 31.

Also, the passengers coming from Britain would compulsorily go for coronavirus test on arrival at the airports.

( With inputs from IANS )

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