With inbound airlines from Liberia, Mumbai and Delhi airports expected, a high alert has been sounded with regard to Ebola screening at Indian airports.
Around 112 passengers are expected to be arriving at the CSIA (Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport) in Mumbai, in seven airlines that have had short halts in the Ebola-hit Liberia.
Out of the seven, four would be landing directly at the CSIA while the remaining would be landing after making its halt at the Indira Gandhi International Airport at Delhi.
“As part of the tentative plan, the aircraft will be first taken to a remote bay and all passengers will be screened at the step-ladder exit after the arrival of flights at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA),” Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) said.
The South Africa Airways flight that landed at the CSIA at early morning on Tuesday was the first to undergo the scrutiny, and it carried around 20 passengers.
Scanning would be extended to the rest which includes Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Emirates and South African Airways.
Reports said on Aug 26 that the flights from Johannesburg in South Africa would be making its intermediate halts at the Liberian International Airport.
Indian airport authorities have made it clear that the measures would be taken up as a precautionary measure, as the passengers would also be screened at the respective airports prior to landing in India.
A primary screening at the step-ladder would be carried out, after the aircraft is taken to a remote bay post landing.
Passengers cleared of any symptoms would be guided for the immigration and customs clearance while the ones with symptoms indicative of Ebola Viral Disease would be immediately shifted to the hospitals.
Provision for around 120 beds has been sorted out at the Hindu Hriday Samrat Jogeshwari trauma care where the passengers unclear of the scanning would be taken.
Passengers requiring further treatment would be isolated to the Kasthurba hospital, said BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) commissioner Sanjay Deshmukh.
Meanwhile, authorities of the Mumbai International Airport Limited called for the safe handling of the baggage from the respective flights prior to the landing.
They added that the flights would undergo disinfection process after the scrutiny and would be boarding the passengers only after 30 minutes of disinfection.