Pre-flight tests may decide quarantine after landing

NEW DELHI: India has begun streamlining the process of international arrivals to fast-track clearance time at airports. From Saturday, people with Covid-negative reports of tests conducted within 96 hours of leaving for India can seek exemption from paid or institutional quarantine. And the “logical next step”, technology permitting, could be passengers getting a test done before leaving for India with their test reports being sent here by the time they arrive and then be accordingly allowed to leave the airport, aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri told TOI on Tuesday.
“We are working to refine the airport process to speed up clearances for international arrivals. I get daily reports on how much time is being taken for people coming from abroad to leave airports,” he said.
In the past few days, staff at airports saw a large number of people cite bereavements in their families to seek exemption from paid quarantine. When asked for proof, most of them would show WhatsApp messages.