In adherence to the letter issued by the Union Secretary of Health in the wake of a new strain of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) surfacing in the United Kingdom, the State government has instructed that all travellers from the U.K. will be screened and made to undergo RT-PCR test.
Those who test negative will be allowed to go, but they will have to observe a 14-day mandatory home quarantine. These norms apply to the passengers travelling either directly from the U.K. or travelling through connecting flights or those who entered the country using any other means of transport.
“We have issued orders to the Collectors and Superintendents of Police to trace the people arriving from abroad and take these preventive measures,” said Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare Bhaskar Katamneni.
Three-T strategy
In a review meeting on Tuesday, Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy called for utmost caution and asked the officials concerned to do the needful to ensure that the new strain did not impact people of the State.
In containing the COVID-19 pandemic, the State has had a positive result by following a ‘three-T strategy’ — Trace, Test and Treat.
Due to the government’s tireless efforts in carrying out tests on a large-scale, the virus has been isolated in most regions, the officials said.
The mortality rate continues to be as low as 0.81 %. Out of the 8,78,937 cases that have been detected so far, 3,992 were still active as on December 21.
The State has carried out 2,11,631 tests per million which places it at the top of the testing charts.
Strict surveillance
A clear instruction has been issued that the surveillance teams should be given a clear mandate and action plan for physical monitoring of all those who have tested negative in the RT-PCR test and are under home isolation.
The teams should ensure their proper isolation, monitoring of parameters and follow up RT-PCR test after seven days of disembarkation.
The field surveillance team consisting of a medical officer and an ANM should mandatorily visit the international travellers daily and update their vitals in the home quarantine app.
In case people develops symptoms before seven days, they should be shifted to the hospital and undergo RT-PCR test immediately.
