JOIN USWest Bengal issues guidelines for Covid-19 positive international arrivals
International passengers testing positive for Covid-19 at airports in West Bengal will be transferred to 'separate' isolation facilities till they test negative for the Omicron variant in genome sequencing reported, according to a notification issued by the state's health and family welfare department.
The notification was issued by the state's director of medical education, and director of health services. It mentions that international travellers, who test positive for Covid-19 by RT-PCR on arrival at the airport will be moved to ‘separate isolation’ at identified health facilities.
“Any traveller testing positive for Covid-19 on a later date, who has a history of travel in last 14 days to a 'country at risk for Omicron' will be subjected to a similar isolation measure as above,” the notification, dated 21 December, states.
As per Centre's rules, international travellers who test positive for Covid-19 by RT-PCR test on arrival at the airport in India are restricted from moving to their destinations.
Now, the eastern state has issued a set of guidelines concerning the isolation strategy. Authorities concerned have been asked to ensure that the specimens collected on arrival are sent for genome sequencing to STM (School of Tropical Medicine). The infected individuals would be kept in separate rooms or wards, away from general positive cases. The toilets and bathrooms will also be separate.
The notification instructs that care providers entering these facilities should use personal protective equipment and maintain infection-control protocols. The movement of such individuals outside isolation for any diagnostic procedure will be restricted to a “minimum”.
Such positive cases would continue to be kept in isolation till the genome sequencing report is available. “If the report comes negative for B.1.1.529 (Omicron variant), the case may be discharged as per discretion of the treating physician with intimation to the department…,” as per the new notification.
In case the genomic test report is positive for Omicron, the patient “must not be discharged until two successive Covid-19 RT-PCR reports (48 hours apart) become negative,” the new instruction states.
On Tuesday, West Bengal recorded 440 new Covid-19 cases. The total number of Covid-19 cases recorded in the state (as of December 21), is at 1,627,930. The number of discharged individuals is 1,600,791. The number of deaths recorded is 19,688, and the number of active cases is 7,451.
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