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SWINE FLU: Indian approach is
casual as usual
WSN Network
AMRITSAR/NEW
DELHI: As death toll zoomed in Mexico and Indian travel advisories
impacted outbound traffic to the west, the swine flu has put travel
plans of US and UK bound people in jeopardy. Many frequent flyers
have called off business meetings, and suddenly there are
arrangements being made for video conference calls.
Travel Agents
Association of
India has
already said there is a 20 per cent fall in the overseas traffic.
Government
spokespersons listed a lot of steps and advisories but the real
ground reality is that
India is not
prepared at all. Nothing is in place at
Delhi
and Mumbai airports that get the maximum flights from affected
countries.
Amritsar
airport has token arrangements.
Symptoms include
fever, lack of appetite, cough, runny nose, sore throat, nausea,
vomiting and/or diarrhoea, and the way health care is run in
India,
everyone can be sure that many cases will go undetected.
Advisories are
affecting outbound travel to
Europe and US.
Delhi airport is in the process of setting up eight special counters
to screen passengers on flights from Mexico, US and Canada from
Tuesday midnight.
The health
ministry had announced they would assign 32 health officials to
Delhi
airport and a similar number to Mumbai, who would work in four
shifts in groups of eight.
The situation is
no better at
Chhattrapati
Shivaji International Airport, with the Mumbai International Airport
Limited (MIAL) being asked to provide only three counters at the
country's busiest airport.
"We have been
asked to provide facilities by Wednesday
noon. They may
start screening in the afternoon," said an MIAL spokesperson.
Airport
officials said checking every passenger for symptoms could result in
delays and long queues at immigration and it could cause chaos. With
such an approach, it should not be difficult to understand how
casual is the entire thing being taken.
29
April 2009
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