Omicron Scare In India: 3 Foreigners From ‘At Risk’ Countries Test Covid Positive, Samples Sent For Genome Sequencing

All the three foreigners were staying at Girdhar Dham in Vrindavan. Dr Bhudev, Nodal in-charge of the rapid response team said that the Girdhar Dham has been declared a containment zone. 

A medical worker prepares a BioNtech-Pfizer Covid-19 coronavirus vaccine at a colisium in Makati City, suburban Manila on November 29, 2021, as the Southeast Asian nation launched a three-day vaccination drive targeting nine million people as young as 12 in an effort to accelerate the roll-out of jabs, amidst the threat of heavily mutated coronavirus variant Omicron. | AFP

New Delhi: In the last 48 hours, three foreign nationals tested positive for coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh’s Vrindavan. Their samples had been sent for genome sequencing to test for the variant of the virus. The three people are from Lithuania, Spain, and Switzerland. 

All the three foreign nationals — a 30-year-old woman from Lithuania, a 44-year-old Spanish woman, and a 47-year-old Swiss man — were Krishna devotees and were staying at Girdhar Dham in Vrindavan. Two locals have also tested positive along with the three foreigners. 

Dr Bhudev, Nodal in charge of the rapid response team said, “the foreign nationals from Lithuania, Spain, and Switzerland tested positive for coronavirus in the RT-PCR tests conducted prior to their scheduled departure to their native countries.” 

He said that the Girdhar Dham has been declared a containment zone. 

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In the wake of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, the Central Government is adopting precautions in resuming international flights. After more than 20 months, the Centre had announced the resumption of international flights from December 15.

But with the detection of Omicron strain, the government has released new guidelines for the arrival of international flights by preparing an ‘at risk’ list and removing exemptions for fully vaccinated travellers. 

Countries under the ‘At Risk’ list include all those countries where the omicron variant has been detected.

The list includes the United Kingdom, entire Europe, South Africa, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Israel, and Hong Kong, as reported by PTI.

All the people arriving from these countries or in transit will undergo an RT-PCR test on arrival. They will be allowed to leave the airport or board their connecting flights after the results.

If they are found to be positive with the Omicron variant, then they will be taken to a medical facility for isolation. If any other variant would be found, then the further course of action will be at the discretion of the doctor according to the patient's condition.