Two people from UK and Singapore test positive for Covid in South India; further tests underway

International flights arriving in Tamil Nadu from Singapore and the UK have been put under close watch after two passengers tested positive for COVID-19. The two passengers have been isolated and admitted to the hospital. 

According to the Tamil Nadu government, samples for genome sequencing and identifying the COVID-19 variant are also being tested. This comes a day after two cases of the new variant of concern Omicron were detected in the neighbouring state Karnataka. 

Elaborating on this, Tamil Nadu Health Minister Subramanian said that the Singapore returnee had tested positive at the Trichy airport and the 10-year old boy, returning from the UK had tested positive at Chennai. He also added that the passengers who sat in adjoining rows, air attendants, other close contacts, and families of the two travellers were being tested and monitored. 

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Currently, passengers from 21 high-risk countries including the UK, South Africa, Hong Kong, Botswana, Israel, Singapore etc, are undergoing mass fever screening, after landing in Tamil Nadu. 

Following the fever screening, the passengers undergo RTPCR tests. Those who test positive are admitted and isolated in government hospitals, while those testing negative would have to undergo 7-day home quarantine and monitoring. 

Requesting the public to not panic, the Minister assured that the Tamil Nadu government would immediately announce if an Omicron case is detected. 

Also read | No free Covid treatment if not vaccinated in this southern Indian state

He also urged the public to follow standard COVID-19 protocols and ensure that all eligible people had taken both jabs of the COVID-19 vaccines. 

In terms of daily RTPCR testing, he said that Tamil Nadu was performing over one lakh tests, of which only around 700 persons were testing positive.