In view of a new variant of COVID-19 virus reported from the United Kingdom, the international airports at Bengaluru and Mangaluru have been instructed to provide the list of passengers who arrived from the U.K. from December 7, 2020, onwards.
RT-PCR testing
The State government has made RT-PCR testing mandatory for all passengers arriving from the U.K., including those transiting from other airports outside the U.K., from Tuesday.
Minister for Health and Family Welfare K. Sudhakar said 587 passengers arrived in Karnataka from the U.K. during the last two days and 138 passengers had not submitted COVID-19 test report. Tests would be done to such passengers from Tuesday, he said.
In a circular issued here on Tuesday, Jawaid Akhtar, Additional Chief Secretary to Health and Family Welfare Department, issued the instructions on RT-PCR testing.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has decided to suspend all flights originating from the U.K. to India.
Isolation, quarantine
Those who test positive in the RT-PCR should be under hospital isolation and positive samples should be sent to NIMHANS, Bengaluru, for molecular testing, in order find out if it’s the new strain or the old one, said the circular. Passengers who test negative on RT-PCR, should be under strict home quarantine for 14 days. Contact details of all such passengers should be provided to the District Surveillance Officers for quarantine follow-up, the circular added.
Mr. Sudhakar said it was decided that testing would be ramped up at airports to prevent further surge in COVID-19 cases. He, however, ruled out further lockdown in the State.
