The Gujarat government today mandated RT-PCR testing for travellers landing at the airport from a host of countries, including South Africa, as growing concern over the new Covid variant Omicron takes over the globe.
Passengers arriving from Europe, UK, Brazil, South Africa, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand and Zimbabwe will be required to undergo the mandatory Covid testing, authorities said today.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the new Covid-19 variant ‘omicron’ that has been detected in South Africa, Bengaluru on also made it mandatory for people arriving from affected countries to take the RT-PCR test upon landing in the city. Home quarantine has also been mandatory for these passengers.
Also Read: Antim Box Office Collection Day 1
“People coming from these affected countries will take the RT-PCR once they land in Bengaluru. If found positive, they will stay in and around the airport and undergo treatment when required. Home quarantine will be mandatory after their arrival,” state health minister Dr K Sudhakar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
“We came out with six genomic laboratories in the last six months and are in a situation where we can sequence, send samples and understand the progression of the mutation,” he added.
(With Inputs from agencies)