NEW DELHI: A day after India suspended all flights originating from the UK, where a mutated strain of novel coronavirus is rapidly spreading, the Delhi government on Wednesday decided to trace all those who have arrived in the city from the European country in the last one month. It also began a contact tracing process and a door-to-door survey of all such passengers.
The passengers have been advised to undergo a compulsory quarantine and a compulsory RT-PCR test irrespective of earlier testing done. Further, the district surveillance officers (DSO) will advise RT-PCR negative persons to self monitor their health for 28 days and again get tested by RT-PCR in case they develop any symptoms.
“The list of passengers who have arrived in Delhi in the last 4 weeks will be circulated to all districts and they will update the status of the passengers allotted to them, as the compiled status report will be generated and shared with the MHA. The passengers’ list from November 25 to December 23 provided by the APHO is to be followed up by the tele-calling by the districts for 28 days on a daily basis. The passengers from Delhi not approachable through phone are to be visited by health workers at the residential address mentioned against them,” states a the SOP.
“All positive samples of passengers returned from the UK are to be sent to the NCDC as per the stated protocol, for genome typing. The passengers arriving in Delhi in the last three flights will be institutionally quarantined in the Terepanth CCC. If the passenger desires for paid quarantine,he/she can opt for quarantine at Alof Hotel at Delhi AeroCity,” it adds. West Delhi DM Neha Bansal said under her jurisdiction, people with recent travel history from the UK are being called upon for inquiry.
Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said people who have arrived here from the UK are being rigorously traced and those showing even the slightest of symptoms are being tested, even as he asserted that the situation in the city was under control with the positivity rate plummeting to below one per cent. The Delhi government has identified Lok Nayak Hospital where the passengers who have been tested positive will be taken, while those who have tested negative may have an option to go either to the paid or unpaid isolation facility.