Telangana On High Alert, Surveillance Beefed Up At Hyderabad Airport With Emergence Of Omicron Covid Variant

The screening and testing measures are to be intensified as directed by the state health ministry at Chennai International Airport

Tamil Nadu Health Ministry reviewing tight surveillance at Chennai International Airport. (Image: Twitter/Chennai (MAA) Airport)

Hyderabad: When people were getting back to normalcy, another variant of Covid-19 has been detected in South Africa earlier this week. The state governments are taking utmost precautions and according to reports, there was no case detected of Omicron variant in India as of Friday (November 26). The Centre has instructed all the states to take strict measures to keep the new variant at bay.

Following this, the Telangana State Health Department has issued a high alert and has directed the airport authorities to tighten the surveillance at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport In Hyderabad. The teams to closely monitor and thoroughly check the international travelers from the countries where the variant has already been detected -- Botswana, South Africa, Belgium Israel and Hong Kong.

Travelers from these countries will be subjected to rigorous testing by the health teams in the airport. The contacts of the influx of international travelers from these countries will be closely tracked and tested, according to the guidelines released by the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

Screening measures intensified at Chennai airport 

Even in Chennai's Kamarajar International Airport, the screening and testing measures are to be intensified as directed by the state health ministry.

TN Health Minister Ma Subramanian along with State Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan on Saturday have reviewed the arrangements at the Chennai airport. 

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in the wake of new #covidvariant. The screening measures will be intensified at #Airport adhering to the #COVID19 protocols.Passengers arriving from high risk countries will have to undergo mandatory tests as per guidelines issued by union/state health ministries.(2/2)#Omicron pic.twitter.com/MtS0I7w31u

— Chennai (MAA) Airport (@aaichnairport) November 27, 2021