173 more passengers from Italy test Covid positive on arrival in Amritsar

At least 173 passengers on a Rome-Amritsar charter flight were found to be Covid-positive after being tested on arrival on Friday, officials said.

This is the second consecutive incident wherein a large number of passengers coming from Italy to Amritsar airport have tested positive for coronavirus on arrival.

On Thursday, 125 passengers who were travelling from Milan in Italy on another charter flight were found positive after being tested on arrival at the Amritsar airport.

Amritsar airport Director V K Seth told PTI on Friday, "Test results of 210 passengers have been shared with me. Out of them, a total of 173 passengers have tested positive."

"This flight came from Rome. It landed at around 12.20 pm today at the airport," he added.

The officials said there were total 285 passengers on the charter flight that landed on Friday.

District health authority officials said all 173 passengers, who were found positive, were being sent for institutional quarantine at their respective home town districts.

According to the rules of the Union Health Ministry, passengers coming from "at risk" countries to India have to compulsorily get tested for COVID-19 on arrival at the airport.

All European countries, including Italy, have been deemed as "at risk" countries by the Union Health Ministry.