L_D_M

I have a trip to Italy booked for the end of March. I'll be waiting a couple more weeks before deciding on cancelling or not, in light of the coronavirus threat. One of the factors to consider is what sort of screening process applies at Indian airports at the moment.

Anyone here with experience or knowledge of what happens? Is it as simple as them taking your temperature and looking for external signs of infection? While I'm prepared to take precautions in Italy, the prospect of being quarantined in an Indian government medical facility on return is scary. Of course, it might all be taken out of my hands if flight restrictions and cancellations come into play, but would like as much information as possible beforehand. Thanks.

oliver2002

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com...campaign=cppst

They are checking your temperature for now. Your only hope is not to have a fever when you return.

PiperAtGatesofDawn

The screening will happen with thermal cameras. In BOM it happens just before you enter the immigration hall. And will generally happen unknown to you. Obviously for people returning from Italy it might be a little more rigorous and they might do more random sampling etc.

Keyser

was scheduled to fly nyc-fco-del next week but dl offered me an option to change my flight for free so now i'm coming back via ams....best to avoid italy for now....

889

"Passengers who have been in China (People's Rep.), Iran, Italy, Japan or Korea (Rep.) on or after 1 February 2020 are not allowed to enter India. Their visa and e-visa are invalidated.
- This does not apply to nationals of India.
- This does not apply to passengers who reside in India.
- This does not apply to passengers with an OCI card.
- This does not apply to airline crew."

https://www.iatatravelcentre.com/int...1580226297.htm

If you are nonetheless permitted to enter as an Indian national, etc. just assume you will at a minimum be subject to at least 14 days' home quarantine.

GUWonder

India already has this, and I am expecting that its spread in India is going to be big and fast given how things go in India. A few headline reports of Italians and some others in India being found with it and put under quarantine is probably the tip of an iceberg in terms of its presence in India.

The Hyatt Regency in DEL has told some staff to not come back to work for a couple of weeks because they had worked with/for a customer who hosted a birthday party at the hotel and has since been confirmed as hit by the virus.

Alluringtour

The government said on Tuesday all incoming international passengers must declare their travel history to health and immigration officials at India’s airports.

It issued the advisory after a man who travelled from Italy via Vienna and entered the country without any screening at the Delhi airport was tested positive for the new coronavirus on Monday.

The man had travelled in an Air India flight from the Austrian capital. On Tuesday, the national carrier tweeted asking passengers of the February 25 AI154 Vienna-Delhi flight to come forward for tests.

hensleyrob

Fun, I'll be staying there in three weeks.

GUWonder

US intelligence assessments are that India will likely become a hot spot for this — more so than Iran — since the Indian government is unlikely to be a very effective actor in stopping the spread domestically.

I wouldn’t ordinarily hesitate going to India because of this, but I don’t want to be stuck where I don’t want to be because a trip to a place gets me quarantined or otherwise restricted from traveling to as many countries. Maybe in a few weeks countries just accept that this thing will spread fast and furiously despite the measures being taken and give up this blacklisting approach, but in the meanwhile it’s something to consider.

oliver2002

God knows if Covid19 will be endemic in India, but its certainly a test to the theory if the disease spread is inhibited by a hot climate... 'winter' is pretty much over in most of India so there is no situation that supports a cold/flu and that would support the spread by sneezing etc. If its also transmitted by direct contact like the Hepatitis A virus, then we are talking...

PiperAtGatesofDawn

With inadequate testing happening almost everywhere including the US and India... it's difficult to say which is a more dangerous place to be in. Given the number of people who have died in the US already due to the corona virus - there are obviously many many many undetected and therefore untreated carriers moving around.

I don't know if the heat will kill the virus the way DJT says however seasonal changes will make people sick and sneeze in India... winter to summer, summer to monsoon. And plenty of people get fever and sneeze during these season changes.

GUWonder

And the smog-related ailments will cause people to cough up a lung still and have made them susceptible to complications from viral infections like this.

889

"Maybe in a few weeks countries just accept that this thing will spread fast and furiously despite the measures being taken and give up this blacklisting approach . . ."

But if countries do stop country-by-country blacklisting because it's become impractical, I think it's more likely they'll just switch to wholesale blacklisting of all foreigners. Essentially you won't be able to go anywhere except home. If you can find a flight.

BuildingMyBento

India is going crazy about this because for once, it's a disease that doesn't stem from within.

Scapegoat the foreigners, it's the old new normal.

GUWonder

Indian TV media has India going crazy about everything that can make Indians crazy. I’m just surprised the hysterical media and government personalities in Indian haven’t tried to peddle this as some kind of Chinese-assisted Pakistani conspiracy against India with a diseased Pakistani agent behind every infection found in India.