90 health counters operational, things back to normal now at Delhi airport: Puri

Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Sunday said 90 health counters are operational at the Delhi airport and things are back to normal now.

"We have a backlog of just about 500 passengers whom we should be able to clear in an hour. Passengers arriving on subsequent flights will also be screened within the same timeframe," Puri said on Twitter.

After the Union Health Ministry announced that passengers from the UK, the US and Australia would also compulsorily undergo thermal screening, there was a turmoil at the Delhi airport on Saturday as passengers waited for hours to complete immigration and screening processes.

"It has been a difficult two days, but with 90 health counters operational for secondary screening of incoming passengers at Delhi Airport, things are back to normal," the minister added.

The Centre has announced that it will not allow any international flight to land in India from Sunday onwards for a period of one week.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, passengers arriving from 12 countries China, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Iran, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Nepal and Indonesia were already being screened. The UK, the US and Australia were added to this list on Friday.

The screening process is being handled by government authorities, including the CISF, the Airport Health Organization (APHO), the Delhi government and the Bureau of Immigration etc.