International travellers arriving in Delhi will mandatorily have to undergo RT-PCR test at the airport, state Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on December 2.
“RT-PCR of every traveller coming from abroad is mandatory at the airport, in view of Omicron. Four COVID positive travellers have been admitted to LNJP Hospital and four suspected are being examined. Their samples have been sent for genome sequencing,” Jain said.
Earlier on December 1, six people who flew into Delhi from 'at-risk' countries, including the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, have been admitted to the Lok Nayak Hospital after four of them tested positive for COVID-19 and two showed symptoms, officials said.
Samples of these six people have been sent to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for genome sequencing to ascertain if they have the new variant, Omicron. The six are set up in a dedicated for isolating and treating such patients, the officials added.
"Four flights originating from Amsterdam and London and carrying 1,013 passengers landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) between 12 night and 6 am. Of these passengers, four have tested positive," a source said.
Three patients travelled on a flight from Amsterdam that carried 372 people. The fourth patient travelled with 176 others on a flight from London. All are Indian nationals, he added.
An official at the LNJP Hospital said that two more travellers ,who tested negative have Covid-like symptoms, have admitted.
Indian government has designated countries as “at-risk” amid the emergence of Omicron variant. These include the UK, European countries, South Africa, Israel, Brazil, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had on November 30 said the capital is prepared to set up 63,800 beds in case a third COVID-19 wave hits the city.
The national capital has reported 39 fresh COVID-19 cases and zero fatality due to the infection over the past 24 hours, according to data shared by the health department. There are 286 active Covid cases in Delhi, down from 287 the previous day.
Delhi has recorded seven deaths due to the infection in November. Four people had succumbed to the viral disease in October and five in September.
With the new cases, the coronavirus infection tally in the city has climbed to over 14.40 lakh and more than 14.15 lakh patients have recovered from the disease. The death toll stands at 25,098, it stated.
(With inputs from PTI)
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