Pooled tests for migrant workers, Indians returning from abroad

The Centre on Thursday issued guidelines to conduct RT-PCR based pooled sampling for migrant workers, stranded Indians returning from abroad for the prevalence of COVID-19.

The Centre also asked health authorities to conduct similar tests for surveillance purposes in green zones and districts that have not reported a Covid-19 case for the past 21 days.

The Centre’s guidelines came as a large number of workers have started returning to their home states on board the ‘Shramik Special’ trains and evacuation of thousands of Indians stranded across the globe.

“A decision has been taken to use one time RT-PCR based pooled sampling for surveillance purposes for migrant workers in institutional quarantine facilities, international passengers in institutional quarantine facilities/hotels ear-marked for quarantine and for surveillance purposes in green zones,” the Health Ministry said.

The guidelines for the pooled test came against the backdrop of a large number of pilgrims stranded at Nanded Huzoor Sahib gurdwara tested positive for COVID-19 after they were evacuated through special buses to their villages in Punjab.

As many as 1,225 of the 4,216 returnees from Nanded Huzoor Sahib Gurdwara had tested positive for coronavirus earlier this month.

At a video conferencing meeting on Sunday, the Bihar government had conveyed to Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba that a large number of migrant workers returning to the state had tested positive for COVID-19.

On Thursday, the confirmed cases of coronavirus infections touched 78,003, an increase of 3,722 in a single day, while the death toll spiked by 134 to reach 2,549. As many as 26,235 persons or 33.63% of the confirmed cases have been cured of the disease and discharged from hospitals.