Govt relaxes 14-day quarantine rule for crew of flights on which passengers test corona positive

NEW DELHI: In a breather to Indian carriers, the health ministry has relaxed its requirement that crew of a flight on which passenger/s or fellow crew member/s test corona positive should mandatorily undergo 14-day home quarantine.
Airlines had told aviation ministry that this rule could lead to a shortage of crew for operating domestic flights, which were allowed to resume from March 25, and the latter, in turn, raised this issue with the heath ministry.
Now, health authorities have dropped the 14-day home quarantine requirement for crew after concluding that there is “minimal” risk of the flu transmitting from an infected passenger to crew as the latter are using full personal protection equipment (PPE). Further, with no onboard service on flights, the crew-passenger interaction is also very low reducing the risk of transmission of infection. Airlines have been asked to do their own risk assessment and accordingly formulate policies for crew of flights on which a flyer/crew member tested positive.