Delhi govt extends Covid-19 quarantine norms for UK passengers till Jan 31

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) in its order had prescribed mandatory seven days institutional quarantine even for those UK passengers testing negative for coronavirus

In view of the new strain of coronavirus in the United Kingdom, the Delhi government on Thursday extended guidelines for passengers coming from the UK to the national capital.

"To contain the increased transmissibility of new variant, it has been decided that aforesaid DDMA (District Disaster Management Authority) order dated January 8 may be further extended till January 31," Vijay Kumar Dev Chief Secretary of Delhi said in a letter.

The guidelines, which were valid till January 14, have now been extended till January 31.

According to the Standard operating procedure (SOP), all incoming passengers have to get themselves tested through the RT-PCR (Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) method on arrival at the airport. The cost of the test will also be borne by the passengers, the letter reads.

Passengers who will be found positive will be kept in a separate institutional isolation facility.

Flights were initially suspended until December 31, and the suspension was then extended until January 8 by the central government.

The decision comes a day after Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal urged the Centre to keep flight services between India and the United Kingdom suspended till January 31 to prevent the transmission of the new variant of the coronavirus.