From June 20, Kerala will give operational clearance only to flights consisting entirely of passengers with medical testimonials proving that they are COVID-19-free.
The policy applies to the Vande Bharat Mission and chartered flights equally, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said at his customary COVID-19 news briefing here on Wednesday.
However, the State would accord no-objection certificates to special flights comprising wholly of passengers who had tested positive at the port of departure. Kerala would receive them with open arms and treat them in State-run or commandeered facilities, Mr. Vijayan said.
High chance for infection
The State has asked the Centre not to allow infected persons to travel cooped up alongside other passengers in the closed and air-conditioned environment of aeroplanes. The risk of transmission was much higher in aircraft cabins than on trains or buses. Moreover, there could be pregnant women, children, the aged and sick persons on board general flights.
Mr. Vijayan said Kerala could not discount the threat of community transmission from asymptomatic persons.
The government had given consent to a private airline to operate 300 flights to Kerala from the Gulf on the ground that the company would test passengers at the point of departure before allowing them on board. Other airlines and chartered flight operators should follow suit. More than 2 lakh expatriates are scheduled to arrive in Kerala soon.
The State could not afford a slip-up. New arrivals accounted for the bulk of new COVID-19 cases in the State. However, the State could restrict transmission through contact with returnees to a bare minimum so far, Mr. Vijayan said.
The impending influx of Keralites from epidemic-ravaged regions could upend the delicate balance if the State dropped its guard. Some nations were reluctant to test persons who were not overtly symptomatic. Test results were often delayed. Indian embassies should set up facilities to test passengers. If the PCR test was difficult and expensive, the embassies should conduct the speedier and cheaper Truenat Beta CoV.
Submission in HC
Meanwhile, the State government submitted before the Kerala High Court that the State would insist on COVID-19 test for those returning by chartered flights from the Gulf. This is because there is every possibility of transmission of disease during their travel.
The submission was made by the State government when a writ petition filed by Reji Thazhamon of Pathanamthitta, seeking a directive to the State government not to insist on returning expatriates to have COVID-19 negative certificate, came up for hearing.
