Genestrings ramps up manpower at Delhi airport for Covid-19 tests

Genestrings Diagnostic Centre, which is conducting coronavirus tests at Delhi airport, on Sunday said it has increased the number of lab technicians at the facility to ensure timely reporting of test results.

The company conducted around 110 coronavirus tests at the airport on Saturday, the day when the random testing of two per cent of arriving international passengers commenced amid a spurt in infections in various countries.

After submitting samples for random testing, travellers can leave the airport.

In a statement on Sunday, Genestrings said that on an average, 25,000 travellers arrive at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here and out of them, 500 random passengers are being tested. By the end of the first day on Saturday, Genestrings had conducted approximately 110 tests.

"We have increased the manpower of lab technicians at the facility to ensure availability and timely reporting along with being fully prepared for COVID management," Gauri Agarwal, Founder of Genestrings, said.

Genestrings Chief Operating Officer Chetan Kohli told PTI that manpower will be ramped up further depending on the demand. Earlier, when these tests were in place for arriving international passengers, Genestrings had a strength of around 850 at the airport, he added.

Currently, there are around 40 people, including lab technicians and data entry operators.