IndiGo Flier Who Landed in Coimbatore Tests Positive For Covid-19, Crew Members Grounded for 14 Days

A 24-year-old passenger who took the Chennai-Coimbatore IndiGo flight on the first day of resumption of air services tested positive for the Coronavirus, with test results of a few other passengers being awaited as of Tuesday evening. According to people aware of the flight details, 93 passengers had travelled in the flight.

Following the same, IndiGo issued an official statement stating that the patient is currently quarantined at ESI state medical facility at Coimbatore. "He was seated on-board the aircraft with all precautionary measures including face mask, face shield and gloves, as were the other passengers. Additionally, no one else was seated in his vicinity, significantly reducing the possibility of transmission."

In addition to this, the operating crew has also been grounded for 14 days. The airline confirmed that it was in the process of notifying other passengers as per the government guidelines.

All passengers entering Coimbatore, a district that is set to turn into a green zone soon, would be subject to the confirmatory RT-PCR test. A senior police officer-in-charge under whose jurisdiction the city airport falls said: "All passengers will be tested for the Coronavirus. Until the results are out, they can choose between a Govt-run quarantine or isolation in hotels..."

The Ministry of Civil Aviation opened up the skies for air services after much deliberation with senior bureaucrats in Tamil Nadu, which ranks among the states with the most number of Coronavirus victims in the country.

Cases in Chennai have been soaring for weeks now. As of Tuesday, total active cases in Chennai crossed 6,000, with the city adding 509 victims on Tuesday. The state Health Minister had said the influx of travellers from Maharashtra every day added to the state's Coronavirus victim tally.

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