Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Dec 23: A new strain of the COVID virus which is believed to be spreading faster, has been identified in the United Kingdom. This is a worrying news for the coastal districts of Karnataka. As per information, 56 persons have arrived into Dakshina Kannada district from the UK from December 7 till now. On December 21, eight international passengers arrived in Udupi district, out of which five were from the UK, two from Canada and one from Ireland.

The district health department has prescribed home quarantine for all of them. These passengers came to Bengaluru and from there they came here by buses or flights. Many of them came on December 21. District health officer Dr Ramachandra Bairy, said that all of them were asked to follow home quarantine in England before they flew down to India, and all of them have negative test reports. However, they have to undergo compulsory quarantine here, he said. Out of 56, most of whom are from the city and Bantwal, one returned to England on Monday.

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As a measure of abundant precaution, the health department plans to conduct RT-PCR tests again for them on December 23. He said that all those who came from the UK are educated and have followed quarantine rules. They have come here to accompany family during Christmas and the New Year. These passengers have been asked to approach the nearby primary health centres or Wenlock Hospital on their own and undergo RT-PCR tests. He has requested people to pass information if any about the passengers arriving from abroad to the health department through medical officers, health and ASHA workers. They can also contact the district health and family welfare officer (9449843050), COVID nodal officer (9972343984) or district surveillance officer (944887706), he stated.

In the meanwhile, checking has been made more stringent in the airport here. The airport here gets flights from Dubai and Dammam besides destinations within the country. So far the passengers were not subjected to quarantine. The district administration is thinking of making RT-PCR tests compulsory for the international passengers.