Kolkata airport opens RT-PCR swab collection facility for flyers – Times of India

Kolkata News
KOLKATA: An RT-PCR swab collection facility that will provide the test results to the departing and arriving passengers within eight hours has been introduced at Kolkata airport. However, an onsite laboratory to carry out Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test that was to become operational at the airport last month is still awaiting statutory approvals.
Speaking to TOI, Kolkata airport director Kaushik Bhattacharjee said passengers travelling to states that require RT-PCR from passengers on arrival could come to the airport early, get themselves tested and wait for the report in the lounge or return home and come back and collect the report before taking the flight.

At present, travel to Port Blair, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Surat, Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur and Lucknow requires an RT-PCR test. For Port Blair, the test has to be done within 48 hours prior to departure while for the rest, it has to be done within 72 hours before leaving.
The facility provided by Suraksha Diagnostics is available only on a single shift between 10 am and 6pm. “We will extend the timing if the response is good,” an official said. While the swab samples are being collected at the airport, the tests are being carried out at a centralised unit in New Town.
A state-of-the-art medical laboratory that has also been set up at the airport is still awaiting clearances. Once functional, it will offer three types of Covid tests: Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), TrueNat and Rapid Antigen Test (RAT).
“The National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) has given its nod. It now requires the clearance of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the West Bengal Clinical Establishments (Registration, Regulation And Transparency) Act, 2017,” an official explained.
This facility is proposed to operate round the clock and have an initial capacity of testing 150 passengers per hour. This will be HLL’s first lab in the city. The company operates testing labs at Mumbai and Chennai airport.
The two leading representatives of the travel trade industry — Travel Agents Federation of India and Travel Agents Association of India — have welcomed the initiative, pointing out that with Covid-19 here to stay, the need to get tested for travel within the country and overseas will persist.

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/kolkata-airport-opens-rt-pcr-swab-collection-facility-for-flyers/articleshow/82150960.cms