‘Int’l travellers, who tested negative on arrival to India, testing positive later’

Amid a surge in Covid-19 cases in the Indian capital in the last few days, Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain today pointed out that many international travellers, who tested negative at the airport, are testing positive a few days later and infecting their family members during the period.

"The cases have increased due to international flights. Even during the earlier wave, the cases rose with flights coming in," the minister told reporters.

Delhi today registered 238 Omicron cases. There were 165 cases of the new faster-transmissible variant a day earlier. Also, the city today saw a massive spike in daily Covid-19 with 496 fresh cases, the highest since June 4, while the positivity rate also rose to 0.89 percent along with one fatality.

According to the guidelines issued by the Indian health ministry on November 30 for international travellers, if people coming from "at-risk" countries test negative at the airport, they are supposed to follow home quarantine for a week. They are tested again on the eighth day of their arrival and if they test negative, they have to self-monitor their health for the next seven days.

However, if such travellers test positive, their samples should be sent for genomic testing at INSACOG laboratory network. They shall be managed at a separate isolation facility and treated as per laid down standard protocol including contact tracing, according to the guidelines.