NEW DELHI: All Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel deployed at airports, who are exposed to high risk of coronavirus infection while conducting security checks on around 1 million passengers everyday, have been asked to resort to ‘minimum touch’ concept for the next one month while frisking and checking passengers and their hand baggage.This means that CISF personnel, especially in the airport security hold area, must wear masks; swap cotton gloves for surgical gloves; announce to passengers to remove every electronic and metallic item carried on their person including in pockets for screening along with hand baggage; and look out for sick passengers exhibiting flu-like symptoms so that they are segregated and directed to the airport health officer for a check up.CISF Special DG (airport sector) M A Ganapathy on Tuesday wrote to IGs and DIGs in charge of CISF cover at various airports, conveying the decision for adoption of ‘minimum touch’ approach by CISF aviation security group (ASG) till April 15, 2020. “The analysis of pan-India (coronavirus) cases has brought out that the air passengers have acted as major carriers of this disease. Thus, it becomes imperative that the time of close proximity interaction with the passengers is kept minimum, without compromising with the security procedures,” he stated.As part of the new approach, CISF personnel have been asked to maintain proper gap between passengers for optimal use of door-frame metal detector and also hold hand-held metal detector (HHMD) 2.5 cm away from the passengers’ body during frisking and increase the number of its swipes. In case HHMD beeps, the passenger would be asked to show the affected portion himself and remove the prohibited articles for security clearance.Importantly, the crime and intelligence wing of CISF deployed at airports for behaviour detection must also look out for potentially infected/sick passengers and alert the security personnel. Such passengers must be asked to visit the airport health officer (APHO) for a checkup and advised to wear a mask. They may require a fit to fly certificate from APHO who has the power, apart from the airline concerned, to refuse their entry into aircraft if they are symptomatic or require further screening.As for pat-down checks which involve contact with the passenger’s body/clothes, they may be undertaken in case of strong doubt about carriage of plastic explosive or prohibited articles, but with utmost precaution.Ganapathy told TOI: “CISF is fully geared to meet the challenge of COVID-19 in the airport eco-system, while keeping its personnel safe”.