India extends suspension of flights with Britain to Jan 7
The South Asian nation reports 20 cases of a new infectious strain of Covid first detected in the UK
Reuters
December 30, 2020
Passengers wearing protective face masks leave upon arrival at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport after India cancelled all flights from the UK over fears of a new variant of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), in Mumbai, India, December 22, 2020. PHOTO: REUTERS
BENGALURU:
India has extended until Jan 7 its suspension of flights with Britain, the civil aviation minister said, as the South Asian nation reported 20 cases of a new infectious strain of coronavirus first detected in the United Kingdom.
Express COVID-19 test at Mumbai airport gives results in 13 minutes
While also economising passengers time, the prompt results offered by the test also enable travellers to make necessary measures to prevent transmission in quicker time, if tested positive
BusinessToday.In | December 30, 2020 | Updated 15:05 IST
The international airport in Mumbai has introduced a new round-the-clock COVID-19 testing facility that will reveal results in just 13 minutes, providing travellers with the much needed respite from long waiting hours. In contrast, the standard RT-PCR test takes about 6-8 hours to give the results.
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) is offering the express tests based on the rapid molecular technology by Abbott for Rs 4,500, making it the first airport to do so, informed a spokesperson from Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL).
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Air India pilots ask management for details of new Covid strain found in UK
(Photo: PTI)
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New Delhi: Air India pilots on Tuesday have demanded the airline’s management to provide them with details of the distinct Phylogenetic cluster of Sars-CoV-2 that has been discovered in the United Kingdom (UK). They demanded that the company procure information from labs and promptly inform all pilots who have tested Covid-19 positive and pilots who may test positive in future if they re infected with this deadlier variant .
In a letter to its director of operations on Tuesday, the pilots pointed out that Air India, from the beginning of the pandemic, has taken the lead on relief missions, ferrying essential cargo, and operating evacuation and repatriation flights across the globe.
The rapid molecular testing technology by Abbott is a tool to help fight the pandemic. The city s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) on Tuesday said it has introduced a new 24X7 COVID-19 testing facility, which gives test results in flat 13 minutes at a cost of ₹ 4,500. Since its launch on December 15, CSMIA has witnessed an average of 30-35 such tests per day, CSMIA said in a release. A total of 400 express tests have been carried out at the airport till December 28, which include passengers who had connecting flights to destinations outside Maharashtra, it said. In compliance with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) standards, CSMIA is the first airport to adopt the express test method by Abbott ID Now, which is aimed at providing arriving passengers with quick and accurate diagnosis, CSMIA said in the release.