Govt likely to make Aarogya Setu app mandatory for flyers post lockdown

Passengers who don’t have Aarogya Setu installed on their phones may not be allowed to board the flight.

Aarogya Setu contact tracing app has been made mandatory in different areas including rail travel for passengers. (REUTERS)

The Centre is likely to make it mandatory for people to have Aarogya Setu contact tracing app installed in their phones while taking a flight post-lockdown, officials said on Monday.

"Preliminary discussions regarding making this app mandatory for air passengers have been done with the airlines," the government officials noted, adding that the Civil Aviation Ministry is yet to take a decision in this regard.

The mobile application helps users identify whether they are at risk of Covid-19. It also provides people with important information, including ways to avoid coronavirus and its symptoms. The app gives colour coded-designation to users as per their health status and travel history. It helps the user know if he or she is near anyone who has tested positive for the virus.

"If the proposal is approved in the Aviation ministry, passengers who do not have the app on their phone would not be allowed to board their flight," the officials noted.

The third phase of coronavirus-triggered lockdown will end on May 17. The government is yet to take a decision regarding resumption of commercial passenger flight services. India has been under lockdown since March 25 to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, which has infected more than 67,100 people and killed over 2,200 till now in the country.

All commercial passenger flight operations have been suspended for the lockdown period. However, cargo flights, medical evacuation flights and special flights approved by the aviation regulator DGCA have been allowed to operate.