Kolkata: Days after 2 Omicron cases were detected in India, the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government directed that travellers arriving in the state from new strain-hit nations will be required to stay in isolation for seven days. However, those flying in from other parts of the country will have to furnish their reports of RTPCR tests as the threat of Omicron, the Covid variant looms across the world.
The direction was also given to keep a strict vigil on flyers from neighbouring Bangladesh and Singapore, an official said after a meeting held by chief secretary H K Dwivedi and Airport Authorities officers during the day. “There will be strict vigilance at the airport. All travellers will have to furnish negative RTPCR test reports. In case one tests positive for Omicron, we will follow the protocol set by the union home department,” the official added.
Key Points From The Revised Guidelines
- Travellers from other states must carry reports of their RTPCR tests conducted at most 72 hours before they board the flight.
- Those arriving in the state from Omicron-hit nations have to spend seven days in isolation
- Directions have also been given to set up a special ward at the government-run Beliaghata ID Hospital, especially for patients who test positive for Omicron.
COVID-19 Cases Decreasing in Bengal
Meanwhile, the number of new Covid-19 cases in West Bengal’s has been decreasing for four days consecutively, while that of daily deaths due to the disease hovered between 12 and 13 during the period, according to the state health department data.
The state on Friday registered 608 new cases, pushing the tally to 16,18,016, while 13 fresh fatalities took the death toll to 19,523, the department said in a bulletin. The number of new cases on Thursday, Wednesday and Tuesday was 657, 668 and 705 respectively. Altogether 12, 12 and 13 people succumbed to coronavirus on December 2 and 1 and November 30 respectively.
