Air travellers to Bhopal have to undergo COVID test or present recent report

The air travellers to the Bhopal airport will have to either undergo the RT-PCR test for COVID-19 detection or present a recent report.

According to an official statement issued on Tuesday, the test reports will also be checked randomly at bus stands and railway stations in the Madhya Pradesh capital from Wednesday. However, the statement has not mentioned the validity duration of the test reports.

Amid concerns over a more transmissible 'Omicron' variant of the coronavirus, Bhopal district collector Avinash Lavania on Tuesday said as COVID-19 cases were rising in the city, therefore, everyone needed to be alert.

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As per directives issued, health officials should check the recent RT-PCR test reports of all passengers, domestic or international, coming to the Raja Bhoj Airport in Bhopal.

The reports of passengers arriving at bus stands and railway stations should also be checked, according to the statement. If passengers are found without test reports, they should be allowed to enter the city only after ensuring their sampling for the coronavirus test, PTI reported.

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Bhopal district's Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr Prabhakar Tiwari said that an arrangement is in place for the sample collection of all international passengers arriving at the airport. The same facility is being arranged for domestic passengers from Wednesday, he said.

The official also said a random sampling will be carried out of passengers at the bus stands and railway stations in Bhopal.

On Tuesday, the COVID-19 tally in Madhya Pradesh rose to 7,93,170 with an addition of 20 fresh cases in the state, including 14 in Bhopal.

-With agency inputs