The District Medical and Health Department is monitoring about 1,400 foreign returnees amid concerns of spread of the new variant of COVID-19, Omicron.
The department has also started a help desk at the airport for the convenience of the returnees.
According to District Medical and Health Officer S. Tirupathi Rao, the foreign returnees are being monitored since November 27.
“There are no international flights running directly to Vizag. Those who are coming from high-risk countries are being quarantined, and those who are coming from other countries are being tested for COVID-19 at the respective international airports. After their arrival in Visakhapatnam, we are monitoring their health condition for a period of one to two weeks,” he said.
“We collect their details at the airport. On their request, we will also conduct COVID-19 test on the spot. Their details will be uploaded into an app of the department, which alerts the ANM concerned in the mandals. The ANM will further check the health condition of the foreign returnee for two weeks,” the DMHO added.
20 new cases
The district recorded 20 COVID-19 infections in the 24 hours ending Tuesday morning. Thirty-four persons had recovered during the period.
The total number of cases and recoveries reached 1,59,055 and 1,57,731 respectively. The toll stood at 1,104 as no death was reported in the last 24 hours. The number of active cases reduced to 220.
