Ebola Alert: Amid the fear of Ebola outbreak, the centre has issued multiple guidelines for the airlines transporting passengers from the hotspots in Africa to India. As per the guidelines, the passengers will be required to fill out a self-declaration form prior to arrival. The form requires the passengers to provide key details, including medical symptoms, travel origin, personal details, and contact details. Apart from this, the passengers arriving from these hotspots will have to undergo thermal screening to ensure safety.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued protocols similar to COVID-19 to ensure that the virus does not spread in India. The airlines have been instructed to arrange separate seats for the passengers with the symptoms linked with Ebola to minimise their exposure to other passengers.
The prominent airlines, including Air India, IndiGo, Akasa, Emirates, and Qatar Airways, have been asked to notify Air Traffic Control if any passenger has symptoms linked with Ebola. The traffic control will then direct the aircraft to a separate bay to ensure less exposure to the other flights. As per the guidelines, the passengers with no symptoms will be allowed to travel further, but those with symptoms will be handed over to the health department.
"Given the current risk of Ebola disease in some countries, any passenger who experiences fever, weakness, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, rash, or bleeding should immediately report it to the airline crew and immigration upon arrival," the guideline stated.
"All passengers, regardless of their nationality, must fill out an SDF and submit it at the immigration or designated counter. If any of these symptoms appear within 21 days of arriving in India, the passenger should seek medical assistance from designated hospitals and also inform the Airport Health Office," it added.
Apart from this, Union Health Minister JP Nadda reviewed the preparations and directed the officials to take necessary measures.