On day 1 of random testing, 110 foreign passengers screened at Delhi Airport

As many as 110 passengers were tested for Covid-19 at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Saturday, the first day after India restarted random sampling of 2 per cent of foreign arrivals. The data was shared by Genestrings Diagnostic Centre, the Covid-19 testing facility at the airport. The latest guideline issued by the Centre comes amid a fresh global outbreak, especially in China, where ICUs and crematoriums are overflowing, and millions of fatalities have been predicted over the forthcoming months.

“On average, approximately 25,000 travellers arrive at the IGI, Delhi Airport, out of which 500 random passengers are being tested. By the end of day one, Genestrings had conducted approximately 110 tests,” Dr Gauri Agarwal, founder of Genestrings Diagnostic Center was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

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Genestrings reportedly said that going forward, a total of 500 RT-PCR tests are expected to be carried out at the current 2 per cent rate.

Meanwhile, the Union health ministry announced on Saturday that passengers from five nations - China, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea and Hong Kong - will need to mandatorily present a negative RT-PCR test report at the entry point.

Furthermore, the filling of Air Suvidha forms to declare current health status shall be made mandatory for passengers arriving from these nations.

The decisions are a result of India putting its focus back on Covid-19 due to China witnessing the worst outbreak in three years. The Centre has also asked states and Union territories to step up vigil and be alert, while emphasising on adequate medical oxygen supply at all hospitals and health care centres.

Last week, both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya chaired separate Covid-19 review meetings with officials and experts. They reiterated that the pandemic is not yet over and urged citizens to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour. Mandaviya assured that there is nothing to worry, stressing the government is vigilant and ready to tackle any situation.

India has been witnessing a steady decline in daily Covid-19 cases. On Sunday, however, the country saw 227 fresh infections, 27 more than the previous day. It was the second straight day that the daily count marginally increased. The active tally, according to Union health ministry's data, currently stands at 3,424.

(With inputs from HT Delhi Bureau)