KARWAR: In the wake of the Omicron threat, the Uttara Kannada district administration has made quarantine mandatory for people coming from those countries grappling with the pandemic. To deal with possible Omicron cases, the administration has mandated eight days of quarantine for these people.
“The Union Government has notified about 20 countries which have been affected due to Omicron. The people coming from these countries will be screened at the airports and will be provided medical care if they test positive. If they are negative, the details of the passenger along with travel history will be dispatched to the respective districts. We will ensure home isolation for such passengers. But going a step further, we are hand-stamping,” Mullai Muhilan, Deputy Commissioner, Uttara Kannada district, told TNIE.
He said that once they are kept in home isolation, they will remain in quarantine with frequent tests being carried out. “They will be monitored constantly and will be tested once again on the eighth day, and will be allowed to come out only when they test negative,” said Muhilan, adding, “We will paste a poster in front of their house, warning the public to stay away.”
In case those in home isolation test positive, their sample will be sent for genome sequencing. As a precautionary measure, the district health department has ramped up testing and is now conducting 2,500 tests daily. The borders have been put on high alert and the people coming from Maharastra and Kerala are constantly monitored. The district administration has said that in case of more cases of Omicron in any locality, it will treat them as a cluster. “This applies even to the Covid-19 cases, where they will be provided with doctors and ready medical services,” Muhilan said.
Meanwhile, the number of Covid-19 cases in Joida has increased to 30. As many as 19 students tested positive in a girls’ hostel on Tuesday. And another 11 were added on Wednesday. However, the health department has provided medical facilities and has sealed the hostel to contain the spread.