Passengers from UK to be tested on arrival at K'taka airports

All passengers flying in from London would be tested at Bengaluru and Mangaluru airports in view of the new strain of Covid in the UK, an official said on Monday.

"All passengers arriving in flights from London and those transiting through airports outside the UK will undergo a RT-PCR test at Bengaluru and Mangaluru airports following the detection of a new variant of Covid in the UK," said state Health Secretary Jawid Akhtar in an order.

The Civil Aviation Ministry on Monday suspended all flights from the UK to India till December 31, with effect from Tuesday night.

"Bengaluru and Mangaluru airports are directed to provide a list of passengers who arrived from the UK since December 7 till date," said Akhtar in the order.

"Passengers who test positive at the airports will be under hospital isolation and their samples will be sent to the Nimhans (National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences) in Bengaluru," it said.

Passengers who test negative will be under home quarantine for 14 days.

"Contact details of all passengers from the UK should be given to district surveillance officers for quarantine follow-up," added the order. - IANS