Covid Spike: Centre Not To Make RT-PCR Tests At Airports Mandatory For Now, Says Report

India on Thursday clocked 594 new Covid-19 infections while the active caseload rose to 2,669.

People wear face masks as a precautionary measure after cases of COVID-19 sub-variant JN.1 were detected in the country.

Source : PTI

New Delhi: Amid the recent surge in Covid-19 cases, the government has no plans to make RT-PCR test mandatory at airports as of now, news agency PTI quoted Union Health Ministry sources as saying. They said even though there has been an uptick in coronavirus infections in the country, 92 percent of the people are opting for home-based treatment and there is no need to panic. The Health Ministry sources further told the news agency that there hasn’t been an increase in hospitalisation rate and Covid-19 was an incidental finding for patients hospitalised for other medical conditions.

"There is no plan so far to make RT-PCR testing for COVID-19 mandatory at airports," PTI quoted one of its sources as saying.

Meanwhile, India on Thursday clocked 594 new infections while the active caseload rose to 2,669 from 2,311 the previous day, according to Union Health Ministry data. The death toll also reached 5,33,327 with six more people -- three from Kerala, two from Karnataka and one from Punjab -- succumbing to the viral infection.

In the light of the recent spike in cases and the detection of the first case of the JN.1 variant India, the Centre urged the states and Union Territories to remain vigilant. Till Wednesday, a total of 21 cases of the JN.1 variant were detected across the country.

Taking note of the recent surge, Union Health Secretary Sudhansh Pant on Monday wrote to the states and UTs urging them to implement the required public health measures to minimise the risk of transmission of the disease. In view of the upcoming festive season, the Centre also asked the states to note the control and management strategies.

The Centre in its advisory have asked the states to monitor and report district-wise cases of Influenza-like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) in the health facilities to help detect the rising trend at an early stage.