29 April,2009 10:01 AM IST | | Chandran Iyer, Shree Lahiri
Authorities don't have a plan for screening passengers flying in from Mexico and other countries affected by the virus
Despite the fact that thousands of foreigners visit Pune regularly, airport authorities in the city are yet to formulate a plan to screen passengers from countries affected by swine flu.
According to airport director G Chandramouli, neither foreigners nor Indians arriving from such countries are being screened. "No such measures are being taken at the moment, as we have not received any circular to that effect from our head office. If we receive one, we will take appropriate steps."
He also passed the buck to the airlines saying, "We are asking the airlines to keep a watch on passengers coming from the US to see if they show symptoms of the flu."
The lack of health checks for foreigners returning from affected nations is alarming, as there are over 14,000 foreign students of 99 nationalities studying in city colleges, according to the Pune university website.
The numbers increase if one includes the Puneites who are returning from their summer vacation or business trips in these countries.
The Osho International Resort, which sees hundreds of foreign visitors every month, also has no plans to implement health checks. Ma Amrit Sadhana, spokesperson for the resort, said, "We only conduct the mandatory HIV test."
