The Visakhapatnam International Airport handled 996 passengers, through three IndiGo and one AirAsia flight, after domestic flights to the city were restored following relaxation of the two-month lockdown, on Tuesday.

A total of 113 passengers arrived by the Bengaluru-Vizag IndiGo flight, the first commercial flight which came here in the morning. After thermal screening and other procedures, the passengers were sent in a special bus to the Port Kalyana Mandapam at Salagramapuram for swab testing. All the passengers were sent home after the test.

“I will work from home, which I can do for the next couple of months,” said Vivekanand, a techie. He is happy that he can now spend time with his family in Kakinada.

Swab test

“The samples of all the passengers have been taken and they have been sent home. We have arranged breakfast for them here,” MRO Gyanaveni, who was overseeing the programme at the Kalyana Mandapam, told The Hindu.

“The test results are expected in 24 hours. We have explained to them the COVID-19 guidelines to be followed at home. If any passenger tests positive, they will be sent to quarantine. Those who test negative should also remain in home isolation,” she said.

Mandatory quarantine

Those coming from areas like Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, which reported more COVID-19 cases, will have to remain in institutional quarantine for a week, said District Collector V. Vinay Chand. They can choose a paid hotel accommodation or the designated COVID-19 quarantine facilities like GITAM and NRI Hospital.

“A total of 135 from Vizag left for Bengaluru by an IndiGo flight. The arrivals by IndiGo flights from Hyderabad and Delhi were 132 and 151 respectively and the corresponding departures were 156 and 155,” according to airport Director M. Raja Kishore.