Two persons who had tested negative for Covid on their arrival in India on December 10 tested positive on Monday, officials in the state health department said.
One of them, a 26-year-old woman from Dakshineswar in North 24 Parganas district, has been admitted to Beleghata Infectious Diseases Hospital and the other has been asked to stay isolated at home.
“Two positive cases among those who came from abroad were reported on Monday. A female passenger who came from Ireland on December 10 was found positive…. Another person who came from the UK also tested positive during follow-up today. This person is in home isolation,” said Ajay Chakraborty, director of health services of the Bengal government.
Another official of the health department said both had tested negative on their arrival in India on December 10.
An official of the Beleghata hospital said the woman, “a student in the UK”, developed symptoms subsequently and got tested again. The second test returned positive on Monday.
Though she had tested negative at the airport, the health department was regularly monitoring her health.
“She tested positive during a follow-up monitoring. She is stable but has a cough. A senior doctor will examine her on Tuesday morning,” the hospital official said.
The Union government had on November 30 issued a directive that all passengers from countries identified as ‘at-risk’ for the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus have to undergo a Covid test at the point of entry.
“Countries in Europe including the United Kingdom”, South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Ghana, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Hong Kong and Israel are on the list.
As for the passengers arriving from other countries, 2 per cent of them chosen randomly have to take the Covid test.
The passengers being screened can leave the airport or board another flight only if the test returns negative.
Health services director Chakraborty said one male patient who was found Omicron positive in New Delhi on December 10 arrived in Kolkata on Monday after testing negative for Covid. He was admitted to a hospital in Delhi.
“He was discharged after testing negative and came to Kolkata today. He is in home isolation along with his wife and daughter, who were Covid negative all through,” he said.
