Health dept watching Sharjah returnees

With the number of Covid-19 cases in the Middle East steadily increasing, the public health department has begun closely watching flights from Sharjah, which land in the city four times a week.
Air Arabia flights between the two destinations are fully occupied compared to the Singapore-Coimbatore flights, health department officials said.
The department has set up a scanner and a team of doctors and medical professionals at the airport’s international arrival terminal, which used to be most active at 10pm every night when the Scoot flight from Singapore lands in Coimbatore. “With China being the epicentre of the virus outbreak, people from there would most likely take the China-Singapore-Coimbatore route to reach the city,” said a health department official. “However, with China continuing to be in lockdown and Covid-19 cases in Singapore continuing to increase, people seem to be cancelling travel to the city. The number of passengers has dropped to around 50 a day,” said deputy director of public health Dr Ramesh.
On the other hand, flights arriving from Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates, continue to be full, Ramesh said. “We get 150 to 160 passengers a day on that flight.”
With UAE’s case count increasing along with the rest of the Middle East region, authorities are increasingly focusing on those flyers. “We are ensuring that every passenger is checked by medical professionals thoroughly and made to walk through the thermal scanner,” said a health department official. “We are also closely checking their travel history.” TNN