On an average, every day, about 3,500 passengers fly down into Chennai from different parts of the country. While all of them are required to have the Tamil Nadu e-pass, they will now also have to undergo home quarantine, even if found asymptomatic.
All air passengers who have to enter the city need to apply for the TN e-pass through the portal https://tnepass.tnega.org/#/user/pass in advance. “For those wishing to travel further, say to Vellore or Tiruvannamalai after they land in Chennai, they will have to mention the final destination in the e-pass application,” said an official.
However, even if one has not taken an e-pass before boarding the flight, they can apply and get one at the counters set up by the State government near the arrival hall in the airport. “Only then the passenger will be allowed to exit the airport. This will be checked intensively,” said an official.
Air passengers from other states who are flying to Chennai on domestic flights will have to undergo a mandatory temperature check. “If asymptomatic, then they will be sent for 14 days of home quarantine. However, if they don’t have a house in Chennai, they will be sent to an institutional quarantine centre. If they are from nearby districts, they can travel after obtaining the e-pass,” said an official.
Passengers coming on flights from Maharashtra, Delhi and Gujarat are supposed to go through the COVID-19 test, but this process is yet to begin at the airport, sources said.
All international passengers, coming through the Vande Bharat Mission flights, have to go through the COVID-19 test and then institutional quarantine for seven days. Institutional can mean either a free facility offered by the government or a paid one (the passenger pays) in one of the hotels in the city.
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