New Delhi: The Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi witnessed fresh chaos among passengers on Friday soon after Arvind kejriwal government issued fresh guidelines for passengers returning from UK. The chaotic scenes were witnessed after an Air India flight from the United Kingdom landed with the nearly 250 passengers on board.
Several passengers took to Twitter to highlight their grievances and the situation and tagged Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in their messages.
One such passenger posted a photo of his infant child sleeping on blankets spread out on the airport floor, and said that airport authorities had refused to let him get his daughter’s stroller from their luggage.
Dear @ArvindKejriwal, I am one of the passenger of flight AI112 from London with my 4.5 months old daughter. You locked everyone of us. At least bacche pe to rahem karte. There is no food for my daughter & they didn't let me get my stroller. How cruel you guys are? @HardeepSPuri pic.twitter.com/bX6oGvklWs
— Gouri Shankar Dash (@GSDash) January 8, 2021
Another passenger tweeted a video of co-passengers arguing with a man in a blue PPE, and said: “@HardeepSPuri… Just came from London AI112, it’s absolutely maniac at Delhi Airport. Asking us to go for institutional quarantine even with Negative PCR test. Didn’t mention this on your SOP.@airindiain.”
@HardeepSPuri Just came from London AI112, it’s absolutely maniac at Delhi Airport.
Asking us to go for institutional quarantine even with Negative PCR test.
Didn’t mention this on your SOP.@airindiain pic.twitter.com/B13HcbgVaG— Harprit Takkar (@HarpritTakkar) January 8, 2021
The development comes after Delhi government issued fresh guidelines and said travellers coming to Delhi from the United Kingdom will have to undergo a seven-day institutional quarantine even if they test negative for COVID-19.
Chief Minister Arvind Kerjiwal further in the SOPs said that after completion of the institutional quarantine, such passengers will have to go under home-quarantine for another seven days which will be ensured through strict surveillance by district authorities.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority said the new rules would be applicable on a trial basis till January 14. Notably, the decision on extending the enforcement of the new rules will be taken after reviewing the situation.
The chief minister said those who test positive for COVID-19 at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on arrival from the UK will be isolated at facilities set up by the government.
So far, 13 Delhi residents have been found infected with the mutant variant of COVID-19 that was first detected in the UK.
On Thursday, Kejriwal had urged the Centre to extend the ban on flights between India and the UK till January 31 in view of the “extremely serious” COVID situation in that country.