Two quarantined at Kolkata airport for suspected coronavirus

Two passengers, who arrived at Kolkata international airport from Bangkok, have been placed in isolation for suspected novel coronavirus, officials said on Thursday (February 13).

A passenger named Himadri Barman was quarantined on Tuesday, and Nagendra Singh on Wednesday, government officials said in New Delhi. Both passengers were sent to Beliaghata ID Hospital, a Kolkata airport official said.

Earlier, a passenger named Anita Oraon had also shown signs of fever during thermal scanning, Kolkata airport director Kaushik Bhattacharjee said. Already two airlines which had direct flights between Kolkata and China have suspended their flights. Low-cost carrier IndiGo has temporarily suspended its flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou from February 6.

Meanwhile, in New Delhi, an Indian citizen onboard a Bangkok-Delhi SpiceJet flight was quarantined at IGI airport on suspicions of the viral infection, an airline spokesperson said.

In a statement, the airline said, “In line with the WHO guideline to contain the spread of coronavirus, IndiGo will be suspending its Kolkata-Guangzhou service from February 6, 2020 to February 25, 2020 and Guangzhou-Kolkata from February 7 till February 26.”

After IndiGo, China Eastern Airlines suspended its flights between Kolkata and Kunming in China from February 10 to February 29. Passengers of flights coming to Kolkata from Kunming and Guangzhou in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok were being screened since January 17.

At present, passengers arriving from Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok are being screened as no flights are operating to and from China.