Chaos at Delhi's IGI airport as CM Kejriwal announces 7-day compulsory institutional quarantine for all UK returnees

Passengers returning to India from the United Kingdom complained of chaos and confusion at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International airport on January 8 over quarantine rules.

The confusion, reports said, was after the Arvind Kejriwal government issued a new directive making a seven-day institutional quarantine mandatory for even those passenger who tested negative for COVID-19.

The flights from the UK, which have been suspended since last week of December amid fears of the spread of the new coronavirus strain, resumed on January 8 with a flight carrying 256 passenger landing at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport from London's Heathrow Airport on Friday.

“Just came from London AI112, it’s absolutely maniac at Delhi Airport. Asking us to go for institutional quarantine even with Negative PCR test. Didn’t mention this on your SOP,” a passenger Harpit Thakur who travelled in Air India flight shared a video of ‘maniac’ scenes at the Delhi airport.

@HardeepSPuri Just came from London AI112, it’s absolutely maniac at Delhi Airport.
Asking us to go for institutional quarantine even with Negative PCR test.
Didn’t mention this on your SOP.@airindiain pic.twitter.com/B13HcbgVaG

— Harprit Takkar (@HarpritTakkar) January 8, 2021

The Delhi Airport informed Thakur from its Twitter handle to get in touch with ground staff.

“As per Delhi Govts latest mandate, all passengers arriving from the UK will have to undergo mandatory RT-PCR test in the UK as well as in India. Passengers are also required to undergo a mandatory 7-day institutional quarantine on arrival. For further information,” the official handle of Delhi Airport said. The tweet was later removed.

Many other passengers also took to social media sharing information about the confusion ensuing at the airport. A passenger asked why his passport was being taken away.

A Delhi Airport official, however, told Moneycontrol that the process of handling UK returnees was smooth.

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As per the SOP issued by Union Health Ministry last week, all passengers arriving in India from the UK between January 8 and January 30 were supposed to be subjected to self-paid COVID-19 test on arrival at the airport. Passengers were asked to bring along a COVID-19 negative report from a test done 72 hours prior to the journey.

But, the Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi issued an order on January 8 morning (when flights from the UK had already taken off) to make the institutional quarantine mandatory for all returnees from the UK.

Many others took to social media and called Kejriwal’s move ‘ridiculous’.

"This is ridiculous. You cannot tell people the rules have changed After they land. Some notice must be given! Chaos at Delhi Airport with this flight, families with small children, pregnant woman howling, " Sanjiv Kapoor, former Vistara Chief Commercial Officer tweeted.

This circular has been issued AFTER the first Air India flight was already on its way. You cannot now tell those passengers after they have landed that the rules have changed. That is ridiculous! @MoCA_GoI@MoHFW_INDIA@DelhiAirport@airindiain

— Sanjiv Kapoor