Coronavirus: Jammu and Kashmir to quarantine all flyers on their arrival

With train and domestic flight operations resuming from May 25, the Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to put all people under quarantine on their arrival in the Union Territory (UT).

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“All passengers coming to J&K by air/rail will be kept in institutional quarantine for 14 days & tested for COVID-19 using RTPCR test. If tested negative, they will be sent home, if positive sent to a hospital. This is the state protocol under the Disaster Mgt Act,” an official spokesperson, tweeted.

However, there are minor changes in earlier quarantine protocol, an official privy to the development told DH.

He said a seven-day period of quarantine is being worked out for all the arrivals from outside J&K after May 25. “Chief Secretary B V R Subramanyam has reached Srinagar to oversee the new arrangements of quarantine,” the official said.

Sources said it has been decided that the administration will offer only government quarantine facilities and not hotels. “But some hotels on minimum fixed payment have been selected,” they said, adding that tertiary-care SKIMS hospital, Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar and Jammu have been asked to ramp up testing facilities.

The government expects more than 3,000 arrivals daily after May 25. In the beginning, 80-90 flights are expected to operate per week.