Kerala government has issued a list of guidelines to ensure that COVID protocols are followed in wake of the Ministry of Civil Aviation announcing that domestic flights will resume operation throughout the country from May 25.
The guidelines are as follows:
1. After obtaining the flight tickets, the travellers should mandatorily register their details in COVID-19 Jagratha portal.
2. If more than one person travels in a single ticket, details of all persons shall be entered by anyone in the group using 'add family member' option.
3. Travel permit will be issued with a QR Code in the registered mobile number and email.
4. The Airline staff shall insist on the details of the entry pass obtained from COVID-19 Jagratha portal before issuing the boarding pass.
5. Travellers can use own vehicle or rented vehicle for travel to their home.
6. Travellers shall show the details of registration in the registration desk at the Airport.
7. After undergoing medical screening for any symptoms of COVID-19, asymptomatic persons shall undergo home quarantine and symptomatic persons will be sent to either a COVID Care Center or the nearest Hospital.
8. All persons entering the State shall remain under home quarantine for 14 days from the date of arrival. However, if the LSGI concerned has not confirmed the availability of home quarantine in the COVID-19 Jagratha portal before they reach the destination Airport, they will be sent to institutional quarantine in the district till the LSGI concerned confirms the availability of Home Quarantine facility.
9. Pick up vehicles for arriving passengers will be permitted to enter Airport with one person (excluding driver of the vehicle) at a designated place subject to social distancing norms. If the persons who pick up the passenger comes into physical contact with the traveller, they shall also remain under Home Quarantine for 14 days.
10. The District Administration pertaining to those districts with Airports will make arrangements for operating KSRTC buses to other district headquarters/ major towns to drop the arriving passengers enabling them to reach home.
Infrastructure requirements at entry Airports:
The District administration shall ensure the following facilities at the designated Airports immediately.
If additional infrastructure apart from the present system for international travellers is required, the same may be arranged well in advance.
• Facility for the planned exit of passengers
• Functional Health desks which will receive the inbounds from those restricted exit gates.
• There should a proper Queue system to reach the desks.
• Required IT infrastructure with proper support should be provided at the desks.
• Provision for health check-up cubicles adhering to COVID-19 containment protocol.
• All Luggage should be disinfected
• All the officials to use prescribed PPEs and sanitizers
• Assignment and deployment of officials from different departments in adequate number.
• Temperature checking must be carried out with Infrared flash thermometer
• Queries regarding COVID related symptoms must be done at the health desk
• Officials of Airports to coordinate the surveillance activities
• All symptomatic passengers to be sent to Isolation facilities in designated ambulances ( double-chambered ambulances with the driver wearing PPE)
• Staff must be exclusively posted for a period of two weeks for Airport surveillance and they must undergo two weeks home quarantine upon finishing duties
• Any COVID 19 related symptoms in health staff must be promptly reported to state and district IDSP’s and they must be tested with RT PCR
• Daily reporting at 3 pm every day
• Disembarked Passengers must be made to walk to the health desks in a group of 20-25 maintaining social distancing of 1 metre
• Wheel Chair facility.
• Dedicated vehicles for taking symptomatic passengers to pre-quarantine designated centres for testing/ sample collections.
• Public address systems of Airports to be used.
• Airport staff shall follow all the COVID-19 protocol while attending the passengers.
District collectors can modify the above stipulations depending on local conditions.
Procedure for going out of Kerala:
• District Administration will provide facilities for medical screening and issuing the exit passes at designated Airports to the passengers travelling outside Kerala. All the passengers with valid flight ticket travelling outside Kerala should reach Airports sufficiently in advance at least three hours before departure for medical screening and obtaining a certificate.
• The medical screening will be limited to convey the asymptomatic status of the person, and the contact history with COVID-19 confirmed cases will be recorded in the certificate as per self-declaration by the person.
The instructions of the Ministry of Civil Aviation over all precautionary and preventive measures shall continue to apply in addition to these guidelines. The Collectors of the districts where the airports are located shall modify the stipulations in accordance with the local conditions, in exigencies under information to State War Room.
No deviation from the above SOP/ guidelines shall be entertained under any circumstances without obtaining prior clearance from the State Nodal Officer, Interstate transit.
