All Afghanistan evacuees to undergo 14-day mandatory quarantine in Delhi: Centre

People who were evacuated from Kabul wave from inside the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) bus as it leaves the Hindon Air Force Station in Ghaziabad, India, August 17. (Image: Reuters)

With several evacuees testing positive for COVID-19, the Centre on August 24 issued a memorandum mandating 14-day institutional quarantine for those flying into Delhi from Afghanistan.

People arriving from Afghanistan will be taken to the ITBP Chhawla Camp in Delhi for mandatory quarantine and those testing positive will be shifted to dedicated COVID-19 hospitals, ITBP said.

First batch of 81 people evacuated from Afghanistan will be quarantined at ITBP camp in Chhawla for 14 days. Those tested COVID-19 positive will be later shifted to dedicated COVID-19 hospitals: ITBP pic.twitter.com/ilczk6mOoW

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— ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2021

The ministry said the Centre is undertaking emergency evacuation of people from Afghanistan to India and considering the nature of the crisis, it has already allowed exemption from mandatory pre-boarding RT-PCTR testing (presently mandated for international travellers) for people who have been evacuated from the war-torn country.

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"Coronavirus transmission (including circulation of variants) in Afghanistan is unclear at present, as a matter of abundant precaution, it has been decided that the arriving persons shall undergo a mandatory minimum 14 days institutional quarantine at Sector Headquarters Logistic and Communications, Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Chhawla Camp, Najafgarh Road, New Delhi," the office memorandum said.

"The Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Civil Aviation shall intimate ITBP adequately in advance about the exact date and timing of these incoming flights along with the passenger manifest. The said information may also be provided to the Government of NCT of Delhi," it said.

Read: US scrambles to complete Afghanistan pullout as threat of attacks rises

All nodal agencies involved -- MEA, MOCA, MHA, ITBP, and Government of NCT of Delhi, NCDC -- shall designate and communicate the name, designation and contact number of their nodal persons to each other and to the Ministry of Health, it added.

Meanwhile, as per a PTI report, at least 10 evacuees from Afghanistan tested COVID-19 positive after their arrival in Delhi on August 24.

Also read: Taliban will not allow Afghans to enter Kabul Airport, board evacuation flights

"All 78 people, who arrived from Kabul via Dushanbe, underwent COVID testing at the IGI airport. Of them, around 10 have tested positive," Kanv Bhalla, an entrepreneur coordinating rehabilitation efforts on behalf of New York-based philanthropist Mandeep Singh Sobti said, as per the report.