Legal action against passengers from Ebola affected countries, if they provide false address

The Telangana government will launch criminal prosecutions under the Epidemic Diseases Act against international passengers providing fake addresses at Hyderabad airport amid an Ebola high alert. The state will also deploy 24/7 language translators to plug screening loopholes.

Hyderabad: The State government will take strict legal action against passengers arriving in Hyderabad from Ebola-affected African nations of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan, if they provide false addresses.

The decision was taken during a review meeting on Ebola preparedness chaired by State Health Minister, Damodar Raja Narasimha on Monday. In the review meeting, senior health officials revealed that several passengers arriving from these countries could not be traced at the addresses they had provided.

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The Minister made it clear that passengers arriving from Ebola-affected countries must provide accurate and correct details regarding their address and phone numbers. The Minister instructed the health officials to register cases under applicable laws, including the Epidemic Diseases Act, against those who provide false information.

He also advised that passengers should be explicitly informed at the Shamshabad Airport itself that giving wrong information would lead to legal consequences and the filing of criminal cases.

To communicate effectively with international passengers, the Minister directed officials to take assistance from the English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU).

He suggested deploying personnel capable of speaking foreign languages predominantly spoken in Ebola-affected countries including French, Arabic, and Swahili, at the airport across three shifts, 24/7, which will make the surveillance and data collection process more efficient.

The Minister said that there was a need to enhance coordination among the Health Department, GHMC, airport authorities, and the Police Department to conduct contact tracing more effectively.

Health Minister Raja Narasimha urged the general public that there is no need for panic. He said that the State government is continuously monitoring the situation and acting vigilantly in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Central Health Department and ICMR.