Omicron: Regulations for international, domestic passengers at Chennai airport

The airports in Chennai, Madurai, and Coimbatore have started compulsory testing of passengers arriving from 'at risk' countries where Omicron variant of coronavirus is spreading rapidly. Passengers taking the RT-PCR test need to wait for atleast 5-6 hours, while passengers taking the Rapid test to wait up to an hour.

An exclusive corridor that can accommodate 500 passengers has been created at T4 terminal to screen arriving passenges from countries at-risk. Facility for registration for RT-PCR and Rapid PCR, sample collection and payment are provided. This is in addition to pre-booking and pre-pay facility extended to passengers online to save time during screening process.

* All flyers from at risk counting should undergo RT-PCT test on arrival

* The test should be repeated on the 7th day and the isolation should be extended for another 7 days if tested positive.

* Even after testing negative, passengers should isolate themselves at home for 7 days.

* The Chennai airport has also installed a separate corridor for passengers arriving from 'at risk' countries.

* Suppose, if any of the international passengers test positive their samples would be sent for genome sequencing at the INSACOG lab

*Patients would be sent to a separate isolation facility and provided treatment as per the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Their contacts would also be kept under home quarantine and strictly monitored by the state government.

* RT-PCR negative certificate not less than 72 hours is mandatory for flyers from other states.

* Passengers should submit their vaccination certificate on arrival.

* Thermal screening will be conducted for all the passengers.

* Positive and symptomatic - Patient will be taken to hospital isolation.

* Negative and asymptomatic - Patient will have to undergo for self-monitoring for 14 days.

* Negative and symptomatic - Patient will be taken to hospital isolaton and decided based on medical opnion.