COVID-19: Help desk at Bhubaneswar airport for passengers from UK

Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has set up a help desk at the arrival of Biju Patnaik International Airport after the Odisha Government asked authorities to strict adherence to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the Union Health Ministry for mandatory screening of people with travel history from the UK, on Wednesday.

Speaking to , Gautam Ray, General Manager, Biju Patnaik International Airport, said, "BMC had set up a help desk at the arrival of Biju Patnaik International Airport for passengers who have come from the United Kingdom."

He added that though there are no international flights to Bhubaneswar as of now, however, as per the SOPs, the desk has been set up at airport transit passengers coming from the UK.

"We have made arrangements for testing and extended our full support to the traveller," Ray added.

Meanwhile, India has temporarily suspended all flight operations between India and the UK till December 31, 2020.

On December 20, Prime Minister Boris Johnson had informed the public that a new variant of the COVID-19 virus has been found in the UK.

"Given the early evidence we have on this new variant of the virus and the potential risk it poses, it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you we cannot continue with Christmas as planned," he had tweeted.

( With inputs from ANI )