India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has issued a strict set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for airlines after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the Ebola virus disease outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern.
Airlines Must Enforce Rigorous Screening Measures
The directives have been issued to airlines linked to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, which have witnessed Ebola outbreak. The new protocols aim to establish a robust line of defence at international gateways to mitigate the risk of the highly contagious virus breaching Indian borders.
Under the newly released guidelines, airlines operating direct or connecting flights from Uganda and the Congo are mandated to enforce rigorous screening measures. Carriers have been directed to ensure the mandatory filing and collection of physical or digital self-declaration forms from all passengers before they are permitted to disembark. Airlines will also have to broadcast targeted health announcements during flights to educate passengers on the virus's early warning signs and encourage self-reporting before reaching the terminal.
Passengers Urged to Report Fever, Bleeding or Vomiting
Passengers are being urged to immediately report to cabin crew, immigration officials, or airport medical authorities if they experience any classic symptoms of the disease like high fever and profound weakness, muscle pain and severe headaches, sore throat, vomiting and diarrhoea or unexplained bleeding or bruising. The DGCA also explicitly stated that if any traveller develops these symptoms within 21 days of arriving in India, they must immediately seek medical isolation at designated state hospitals and notify the relevant airport health office.
For mid-air contingencies where a passenger exhibits symptoms consistent with Ebola, the DGCA has laid down a strict isolation blueprint, wherein the suspected case will have to be immediately moved to the rear of the aircraft and three front rows and all adjacent seats should be kept vacant if possible. The airlines have also been instructed to audit and top up their onboard medical inventories, including triple-layer surgical masks, disposable gloves, personal protective equipment (PPE) kits, sanitisers, and bio-hazard disposal bags.
