The spread of the Omicron variant in the country is the prime concern of most of the authorities, especially those associated with travel and tourism. Certain guidelines have been imposed at international airports to control the Omicron threat in India.
As the airports have tightened their guidelines for international travel from at-risk countries, another issue seems to be emerging. Amid strict guidelines and restrictions, the queue of people at the airports and the rush of peak timings seem to be getting worse.
Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport bore witness to long queues and chaos as a huge crowd of people could be seen gathered in the lobby and waiting areas, flouting the social distancing rules. Scary images from the Delhi airport emerged on social media as travellers shared their experiences.
The IGI airport seems to be crowded due to the new COVID-19 norms imposed by the Centre in view of the Omicron variant. As per the norms, passengers from at-risk countries need to get an RT-PCR test done and will have to wait for the results at the airport itself.
People at the airport also shared photos and their experiences from the crowded areas, where people could be seen flouting social distancing amid the spread of the new COVID-19 variant. One Twitter user said, “IGI Airport at 5 AM, seems all flights for the day arrive at the same time. Finding Omicron is sure going to be like finding a needle in a haystack.”
IGI Airport New Delhi ,5 AM, seems all flights for the day arrive at the same time. Finding Omicron is sure going to be like finding a needle in haystack#Delhiairport #OmicronInIndia #Omicron #socialdistancing pic.twitter.com/Z6IXIQw0Cf
— sudhir upadhyay (@sudhiru74929815) December 3, 2021
A shot of the Delhi airport with people standing shoulder-to-shoulder was also shared on Twitter by RPG Group chairman Harsh Goenka. In the caption of the image, he called the IGI airport in Delhi a “COVID hotspot” because of the crowd and the chaos.
Scenes yesterday at Delhi airport #Covid hotspot pic.twitter.com/SoM6RNumYO
— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) December 5, 2021
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia also shared the image uploaded by one of the passengers at the airport in the national capital, and said, “Airport and Civil aviation authorities should handle such situations more intelligently. And it’s not rocket science. There are solutions to handle much bigger crowds than airport gatherings. But someone having decision-making power have to take interest in it.”
Airport and Civil aviation authorities should handle such situations more intelligently. And it’s not rocket science. There are solutions to handle much bigger crowds then airport gatherings. But someone having decision making power have to take interest in it. @JM_Scindia https://t.co/k4pE8TR1e0
— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) December 5, 2021
