Turbulence in the air as positive cases unspool

As if grappling with an increasing number of COVID positive cases that came from varying clusters was not enough, the virus load on Tamil Nadu from air passengers has left officials in a quandary. The state government was resisting the operation of domestic flights till Lockdown 4.0 officially ended on May 31. But the civil aviation ministry on May 20 asked states to resume domestic flight operations from May 25. It gave officials four days to come up with a detailed standard operating procedure for passengers, airport staff and airline crew to ensure a clinical flying experience, complete with social distancing norms.

Tamil Nadu had initially decided to only send out flights, citing lack of airport quarantine facilities for incoming guests. But the “arduously long meeting”, as tweeted by Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, resulted in the state’s compliance with the order. It set its conditions though, limiting the number of flights and even cancelling a few from other hotspot states like Maharashtra and Gujarat.But once the skies opened up, the first case of a passenger testing positive on arrival in a Chennai-Coimbatore flight on Monday gave air sickness a new meaning. Two days later, the virus was excess baggage on three more domestic flights in the state. Nine passengers who arrived in Coimbatore International Airport on Wednesday from Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai tested positive. The load got heavier in the next two days and a total of 28 passengers have tested positive on arrival till now.

The tarmac in Tamil Nadu is now becoming the parking lot for another new cluster. Karnataka has already begun resisting flights from TN, apart from Maharashtra, Delhi and Gujarat. What is the way forward? The government needs to reinvent its airport protocol. The present thermal screening may come up with its own set of flawed readings, as there may be asymptomatic cases and a few may pop in a paracetamol to get past medical scrutiny. The authorities may consider the possibility of a mandatory Covid test certificate along with the boarding pass. They may have to add a few health clauses for smoother take-off, at least till a vaccine is developed.