Man with 'normal temperature' shows Covid-19 positive report after arriving at Kolkata airport, quarantined

According to sources in the airport, the man, a resident of Jagaddal in North 24 Pargana district of West Bengal, arrived at Kolkata airport on Tuesday afternoon from Delhi via Guwahati as the airport has suspended all direct flights from all Covid hotspots including the national capital till Jul 19.

"After arrival, with all other passengers, the man was also screened at the airport, and after finding that his body temperature was 98.3 degree Fahrenheit and he was not showing any Covid-19 symptoms, our officials had asked him to stay isolated at home for next 14 days as per the SOP," a Kolkata airport official said.

"The man was continuously requesting to send him to a government quarantine facility and when our health officials rejected his demand, the man suddenly took out his Covid positive report from his pocket and showed that," the officer added.

Senior officials of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) said that the man was immediately taken to a quarantine facility and a contact tracing was on to identify his co-passengers as well as the crew of both the flights (Delhi-Guwahati and Guwahati-Kolkata) he travelled that day.
   
"It has clearly been mentioned in the SOP that no passenger can take a flight with Covid-19 symptoms and he/she must not hide any health-related information before booking a ticket and getting boarding-pass," an AAI official said.

"We are looking into the matter why the passenger hid his Covid positive report before taking the flight and the entire matter has already been informed to the DGCA as well as AAI headquarters in New Delhi," he added.

Officials said that all his co-passengers and flights' crews will be asked to stay under home quarantine for next two weeks.