As the second wave of Covid-19 recedes and international travel resumes gradually, Chennai airport will conduct rapid PCR tests to ensure safer international flights for passengers.
The Tamil Nadu government gave its nod to conduct the tests, based on guidelines by ICMR and US-FDA, on its premises on Tuesday. Chennai Airport Director Dr Sharad Kumar told The New Indian Express (TNIE) that it will take a passenger all of 30 minutes to register for and take the test. The results will be available within 13 minutes of taking the test.
This test assumes importance as most countries are putting up travel restrictions wary of Covid-19, whose more virulent Delta strain has alerted nations once again across the globe. Dubai, for instance, has a rule that travellers have to undergo a rapid RT-PCR test for Covid-19 four hours before their departure and they can only travel if the report is negative.
HLL Life Care has set up a test facility at the Chennai Airport called ‘Hind Labs’ which has an 'Abbot ID Now' based system for the tests, which is ICMR-approved.