Srinagar, Apr 26: The Srinagar International airport authorities on Monday said that all guidelines are being followed while a healthy ambience is being created inside the terminal building to break the chain and curtail the spread of COVID-19.

However, travelers have urged the Centre to direct airlines to operation with 50 per cent occupancy to minimize the rise of infections while travelling.

“@Aaisnrairport All guidelines are followed against spread of COVID .Time to time sanitization at various points, Announcement on PA & Through FIDS are going on to Make a healthy ambience inside terminal building. #BreakTheChain @AAI_Official,” Srinagar Airport wrote on its official Twitter handle on Sunday.

The airport authorities had on Sunday urged passengers to confirm their latest COVID-19 test report and its validity before travelling with the concerned airline operator to avoid any last minute confusion. “It is advised to all passengers before traveling kindly confirm the latest COVID Test Report requirement and validity from concern Airline operator to avoid any last time confusion,” Srinagar airport said on Sunday.

Passengers, including tourists arriving in Kashmir through Srinagar airport, undergo RT-PCR test but it takes two to three days for the reports to arrive. During this time the passengers are allowed to move into the city.

Until recently, there was no testing of those reaching here by Srinagar-Jammu national highway. The COVID-19 cases have risen unabated in Kashmir valley, particularly the summer capital, Srinagar, which has recorded the major chunk of positive cases during the last about a fortnight.

Meanwhile, a traveler Bilal Ahmad, a Srinagar-based businessman, told UNI that as it has been proven that the new COVID-19 variants are airborne and are most infectious in close spaces, the centre should direct the airlines to operate with 50 per cent occupancy so that the rise of getting infected onboard decreases. Similar views were given by other travelers.

As many as 2,381 new positive cases of novel Corona virus, including 848 from Jammu division and 1,533 from Kashmir division, were reported on Sunday. Twenty one people, including 10 from Kashmir and 11 from Jammu, lost their lives to the virus on Sunday.

UNI