7-day mandatory institutional quarantine for UK flyers arriving in Delhi

All the air passengers arriving from the UK to the national capital Delhi will be sent to seven days of institutional quarantine before home isolation even if they test negative for coronavirus, according to an order by the Delhi government.

In an order issued by Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) it was mentioned that "All travellers coming from the United Kingdom to India would be mandatorily subjected to self-paid RT-PCR tests on arrival at the airport. Those who are found positive shall be isolated in an institutional isolation facility in a separate (isolation) unit as per existing laid down protocol".

Further, the order stated: "Those who are found negative shall be kept in compulsory institutional quarantine for a period of 7 days followed by 7 days of home quarantine".

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted the DDMA order and wrote, "To protect Delhiites from exposure to the virus from UK, Delhi government takes important decisions. All those arriving from UK, who test positive will be isolated in an isolation facility. Negative ones will be taken to a quarantine facility for 7 days followed by 7 days home quarantine".

To protect Delhiites from exposure to virus from UK, Del govt takes imp decisions.

All those arriving from UK, who test positive will be isolated in an isolation facility. Negative ones will be taken to a quarantine facility for 7 days followed by 7 days home quarantine pic.twitter.com/hYDsaOn8q1

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) January 8, 2021

Flight services from the UK to India resumed partially on Friday after being suspended for 16 days.

On Friday, an Air India flight from the UK landed in Delhi, carrying 256 passengers on board.

The government had suspended services between the two countries on December 23 over the new and more contagious strain of the virus. At present, at least 82 people have tested positive for the new UK variant in India.

According to Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, 30 flights will operate every week - 15 each by Indian and UK carriers till January 23, 2021.