Thiruvananthapuram, June 23: Kerala Chief Minister, Shri Pinarayi Vijayan today informed that the State is hopeful about the implementation of the mandatory pre-flight Covid testing for Pravasies at the earliest. The State Government had earlier extended the implementation of the pre-flight mandatory Covid-19 testing for those coming to Kerala from abroad till June 24.
Addressing the media, the Chief Minister said, “All possible measures should be taken to prevent the spread of the virus and as part of this, we raised the need to test the people who come from foreign countries. The state had written letters addressing this demand to the Prime Minister and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). Accordingly, the MEA has been discussing this with missions in various countries regarding the testing of passengers in the Gulf countries. The Foreign Ministry has informed the State Chief Secretary about the progress of discussions.”
The Rapid Antibody Test is being conducted by the UAE. Qatar has a special mobile app that allows only people with green status on this app to travel. Kuwait currently has testing facility only at two terminals but it can be expanded to more terminals as per the requirement of the airlines. It would cost around Rs 1,000 per test. Oman has RTPCR tests only. The Embassy has approached private hospitals but it would be difficult to implement by June 25. In Saudi Arabia also, Rapid Antibody testing is being conducted in some private hospitals but it has not been approved by the government. The Foreign Ministry said that difficulties in Bahrain.
“We cannot compromise on the safety of those coming back to the State from abroad. The government is committed to repatriating all those who wish to return but we should avoid the spread of the virus during the flight. In this context, we are discussing with the central government to find out what best can be done in the interests of Pravasies. We expect a decision will be taken soon”, the CM added. As more flights arrive, more personnel will be assigned for checking the passengers at airports. Senior IAS-IPS officers will be given coordination of arrangement at airports.