New COVID-19 variant: Four more UK returnees test +ve in Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Jan 11: Four passengers, who returned from the UK on Sunday, tested COVID-19 positive at the city airport.
"Of the 289 passengers who took the RT-PCR test on arrival from London, 4 turned positive. They have been quarantined," Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar said in a statement.
"Swab
samples
of
the
infected
passengers
have
been
sent
to
the
National
Institute
of
Mental
Health
and
Neuro-Sciences
(Nimhans)
here
to
ascertain
the
strain
of
the
virus,"
said
Sudhakar.
Of
the
total,
273
were
passengers
(146
men,
95
women
and
32
children)
while
16
were
crew
members.
The
returnees
were
the
first
batch
of
passengers
who
flew
into
the
city
from
London
after
flights
from
the
UK
resumed
on
January
8.
Flights
were
suspended
since
December
23
due
to
the
detection
of
a
new
Covid
virus
strain
there.
Of the 3,965 passengers who returned to the state from the UK between December 9-22, 40 tested positive, with 11 of them having the new UK virus strain. Some of their primary contacts also tested positive and have been quarantined.
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As per the revised guidelines of the Union Home Ministry and the standard operating procedures of the Union Health Ministry, all UK returnees to the state have to undergo the RT-PCR test at the airport on landing even if they flew in with a negative test report, which has been mandatory.
"If passengers do not carry a negative report, they will be tested on arrival at the airport through the RT-PCR method and quarantined for 14 days if they are Covid positive," the state Health Department has said.