Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (MS)

Bengaluru, May 31: Indians stuck overseas due to coronavirus pandemic are being airlifted everyday and brought back to the country. Due to this thousands of passengers are arriving at the airport. This has caused an uphill task to the state government, especially as many of the returnees have ended up testing positive for coronavirus.

In Karnataka, the number of coronavirus positive cases have risen drastically due to people arriving here from other states of the country. To take better control of the situation, the state government has decided to do swab testing for passengers at the airport itself.

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State government had taken the decision to mandatorily quarantine people arriving from overseas and other states of the country for 14 days and 7 days, respectively. However, authorities found it difficult to keep elderly people, children, pregnant women in state quarantine facilities. Considering the difficulties faced by this group of people, the state government gave them concession and allowed them to be in home quarantine after the swab test in quarantine centres.

Now the issue is the shortage of staff to go to the quarantine facilities and collect swab samples. Due to this, the sample collection and result is also getting delayed. Several passengers have complained about delays in test results. The government, responding to the repeated complaints of the affected passengers, has opened a swab testing center for special category passengers in the airport itself.

On Saturday, May 30, priliminary examination was done for 40 people and they were sent to quarantine. Once their sample report arrives they will be sent to their homes. There is also facility for passengers to get themselves tested at a cost of Rs 650, which is done by private labs.

Similar facilities have also been set up at railway stations for domestic passengers.