As many as 300 passengers who arrived at Assam’s Silchar airport on Wednesday escaped mandatory testing for Covid-19 by dodging authorities. District officials said strict action will be taken against them to set an example for other air travellers to take Covid-19 containment measures seriously.

Covid-19 testing was arranged at a government hospital near Silchar airport and passengers were being taken there in buses organised by the health department. Officials said around 300 passengers left without getting tested. The district administration has decided to lodge FIRs (first information reports) against all of them under Section 180 (refusing to sign statement) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the disaster management act for violating Covid protocols.

As many as 300 passengers who arrived at Assam’s Silchar airport on Wednesday escaped mandatory testing for Covid-19 by dodging authorities. District officials said strict action will be taken against them to set an example for other air travellers to take Covid-19 containment measures seriously.

Covid-19 testing was arranged at a government hospital near Silchar airport and passengers were being taken there in buses organised by the health department. Officials said around 300 passengers left without getting tested. The district administration has decided to lodge FIRs (first information reports) against all of them under Section 180 (refusing to sign statement) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the disaster management act for violating Covid protocols.