Omicron in India: 300+ arrived in Odisha from 'at-risk' countries in two days
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State's public health director has said that information about these arrivals has been forwarded to district authorities for further action
At least 380 passengers from Omicron 'at-risk' countries arrived in Indian state of Odisha in two days, said officials on Thursday.
State's Public Health Director Niranjan Mishra said that 224 persons returned to Odisha on November 28 while 156 arrived on November 29.
India on Thursday (December 2) reported first two cases of Omicron variant in the country. Two male patients were found to carry the infection. The cases have been found in southern Indian state of Karnataka.
Odisha Public Health Director Niranjan Mishra said that information about arrivals from 'at-risk' countries has been shared with district administrations.
It has been made mandatory that all passengers arriving from the foreign countries will have to undergo RT-PCR test before entering the state.
Those found positive will immediately be sent to isolation and the swab samples will be sent for genome sequencing, Mishra said.
If the test report comes negative, the traveller or returnee will have to remain under seven-day home quarantine mandatorily and again undergo another round of Covid-19 test on the eighth day, the director said.
After that, the concerned person will also remain under self-observation for another seven days. In total, one person will have to remain under surveillance for at least 14 days, he added.
Meanwhile, 33 students of a Plus II residential college in Dhenkanal town of Odisha tested Covid-19 positive. The local authority sealed college buildings and its hostel, and declared it as a micro containment zone.
More than 70 students of medical college in Burla of Sambalpur district, 53 girl students of a government-run high school in Sundargarh and 26 students of a tribal school in Mayurbhanj district have tested positive for the virus in the past few days.
(With inputs from agencies)