BENGALURU: The news of a transit passenger from China arriving in Bengaluru, who had reportedly tested positive for Covid-19, sent the government and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials into a tizzy. The passenger landed at Bengaluru airport and then flew to Agra.
On Monday morning, BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girnath said that details of the passenger testing positive for Covid-19 were awaited. As the day progressed, the BBMP and the State Health Department held a series of meetings through the day to ascertain more details.
Dr KV Thrilok Chandra, BBMP Special Commissioner, Health, said that the person who tested positive in Agra was a transit passenger at Bengaluru airport. He said that BBMP has sought more details from the airport authorities about the passenger.
In the meantime, BBMP officials said that on December 10, a Bengalurean who had returned from Hong Kong was tested positive for Covid. Chandra said that his samples have been sent for genome sequencing and reports are awaited.
Palike on high alert
However, his family and other primary and secondary contacts were traced and tested and all of them were found negative. Until the genome sequencing reports come, a close watch is being kept in the area, the BBMP officials said. The BBMP officials said that the the civic agency is on high alert.
“The report of the China passenger coming to India and transiting to Agra from Bengaluru has been cross-verified and so far there is no data to establish that he directly came from China and was tested positive,” said an official.