Gujarat: 49 Kumbh returnees test Covid-19 positive in two days

A total of 49 people, who returned to Gujarat after taking part in the Kumbh Mela in Haridwar, have tested coronavirus positive in two days, officials said on Sunday.

Of the 533 people who were tested at Sabarmati Railway Station of the city on Saturday and Sunday, as many as 49 persons were found positive in the rapid antigen test conducted by the civic health teams, a statement by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) said.

All the infected persons were shifted to Covid Care Centres in the city, it said.

On Saturday afternoon, 313 Kumbh returnees underwent rapid antigen tests on their arrival in Sabarmati by train from Haridwar. Of these, 34 persons tested positive, the release said.

On Sunday, of the total number of 220 Kumbh returnees tested at the station, 15 were found infected.

All of them were shifted to Covid Care facilities, it added.

In order to stem the spread of the virus in the state, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had on Saturday announced that people returning to the state after attending the Kumbh Mela will have to undergo Covid-19 test before they are allowed to enter their respective cities and villages.

He had said that collectors of all the districts in Gujarat were directed to keep a watch on the Kumbh Mela returnees and enforce a 'nakabandi' (security checking) to prevent their entry in their hometowns without undergoing the test.