Kolkata Dec 22 PTI International travellers who test positive for COVID-19 after their RT PCR tests at the airport on their arrival to the city will not be allowed to progress to their destinations the state health department said on Wednesday These passengers must be put in separate isolation in any of the health facilities identified for this purpose Any traveller testing positive for COVID-19 on a later date who has a history of travel in the last 14 days to a country at risk for Omicron will be subjected to a similar isolation measure as above the health department directed The department said that the airport authorities must ensure that the specimens of the tests are collected on the arrival of the international passengers and sent to the School of Tropical Medicine for genome sequencing There should an enclosure a room or a ward for separate isolation exclusively for the COVID affected and there should be no mixing with other positive cases The isolation should have separate toilet and bathroom so that there is no mixup with other cases within the facility the order said According to the order if the report is negative for the Omicron variant the person may be discharged as per the discretion of the treating physician with intimation to the health department But if the genomic test report is positive for the Omicron variant the case must not be discharged until two successive RT PCRs are done 48 hours apart and are negative the order issued on Tuesday said The Omicron cases have to be kept in isolation at least till the receipt of genome sequencing report The health status of the affected travellers should be intimated to the state health department on a regular basis it added PTI SCH KK KK KK

Thiruvananthapuram Nov 29 PTI International passengers from high-risk nations which have reported cases of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron will have to undergo 14 days quarantine when they reach the state Kerala Health Minister Veena George said on Monday George said those passengers found positive will be shifted to a treatment centre set up by the state government on the directions of the union government The passengers from the high-risk nations should undergo home quarantine for seven days On the eighth day they should test again If they are found negative they need to remain under quarantine for seven more days she told the media The minister said those found positive would be shifted the treatment centre and separate wards would be set up for them on the union governments direction We have been regularly conducting genomic surveillance We are testing whether there is any new variant in the state As of now we have not found one If anyone coming from the high risk countries are found positive their samples will be sent for genomic surveillance she said George said five per cent of passengers coming from other countries will be tested randomly as per the directions issued by the union government They should be under self-monitoring she added The minister said details of the passengers arriving will be collected from the airport and handed over to the departments concerned to ensure home quarantine and contact tracing PTI RRT BN BN

New Delhi Nov 24 PTI International passenger flight services are expected to be normalised very soon and possibly by the end of this year Civil Aviation Secretary Rajiv Bansal said on Wednesday Scheduled international passenger flights to and from India remain suspended since March 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic The suspension has been extended till November 30 Normalisation of international flights is expected very soon and by the end of this year Bansal said here Currently India has air bubble arrangements with more than 25 countries for operating international flights Under an air bubble arrangement between two countries international passenger flights can be operated by their respective carriers into each others territories subject to certain conditions Last week Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said the government was evaluating the process for normalising international operations and asserted that it wants to return to normalcy while keeping in mind the coronavirus pandemic situation in certain parts of the world I am all for regaining our space in the civil aviation arena in the world and making a hub in India and for more wide body aircraft We will get there but bear with me and trust me I am on your side We will work together but in a safe environment he had said PTI RAM MKJ

Srinagar Sep 25 PTI International flight operations are likely to resume at the Srinagar airport as efforts are on to start services between here and Sharjah Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on SaturdayHe also said that the terminal at the Srinagar airport will be expanded from 25000 square metre to 63000 square metreThe first international flight connection from Srinagar to Sharjah in the United Arad Emirates will be started soon Efforts are on so that international travellers come directly to Srinagar This will be a historic decision not just for Jammu and Kashmir but the whole country Scindia told reporters hereThere will be an investment of Rs 1500 crore at the Srinagar airport while Rs 600 crore will be spent on the Jammu airportThe Jammu airport will have a new 25000 square metre terminal adding to the existing one the Union minister said The runway at the Jammu airport has been extended to 8000 feet and there will be no load penalty on flights at the airport from October 1 he saidThe minister said a new cargo terminal at the Srinagar airport constructed at a cost of Rs 15 crore will be made functional on October 1On the issue of landing operations at the airport here he said the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Jammu and Kashmir administration will hold discussions with the defence ministry for the installation of CAT-II ILS system for overcoming flight cancellations due to bad weatherScindia also held a review meeting at the airport and then held an hour-long discussion with Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for strengthening the aviation infrastructure in the union territoryThe minister said he has requested Sinha to consider reducing the VAT on aviation turbine fuel to one per cent which will help in attracting more airlines to Jammu and KashmirIt will be a boost for tourism and development of Jammu and Kashmir as more flights will translate into more connectivity and more tourists he saidScindia said the Lieutenant Governor has also assured to transfer 122 acres of land needed for expansion of the Jammu airport to the Airport Authority of India AAI by October 10On the same day feasibility and design studies will be started he saidScindia and Sinha also discussed ways of using helicopter services for promoting tourism in Jammu and Kashmir as it is being done in states like UttarakhandOn surging air ticket prices during the winter season Scindia said he will have the alleged cartelisation investigatedWe will stop it if there is any cartelisation Also the best way to check this kind of practice is increasing the connectivity We are taking steps in that direction he addedThe Union minister said Article 370 which was revoked by the Centre in August 2019 was a hindrance in the way of social rural progress and everything in Jammu and KashmirPrime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged progress and development for this region so that it touches new heights of progress development and employment It is with this thought that Article 370 was revoked he saidScindia said in the last one-and-a-half years there has been a wave of development and progress in the union territoryAll the ministers coming here they are not here for tourism or picnic but they are bringing something with them for joining the population of Jammu and Kashmir with the mainstream of progress and development he addedUnion minister Nitin Gadkari will be coming here as well and will lay foundation of various developmental schemes including a 22-km Ring Road for Srinagar at the cost of Rs 3000 crore he saidScindia said under the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana about 60000 youth have been provided with the employment opportunities in Jammu and Kashmir till nowAsked about Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan raking up the Kashmir issue in his video address to the 76th session of the UN General Assembly Scindia said Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are the integral parts of IndiaIt is a single country and if any power thinks that it will be able to cut something out of it then they are mistaken Our country is one and united and it will remain so he said PTI SSB MIJ KJ KJ