Followed by an alert from Chhattisgarh government, the Bastar district administration has sealed the borders with Andhra Pradesh keeping in view the spread of a new Andhra variant of Covid-19.
“The district administration is strict at the borders and Covid test reports are asked from all passengers coming by buses from Andhra Pradesh,” an official statement said.
“In case the passengers don’t have the test report, then their rapid antigen test is done on the spot,” the statement said.
The drivers and cleaners of goods transport are also screened at the border and only then allowed to pass through the district.
The new variant, N440K (also called as AP variant), is creating havoc in Visakhapatnam and other parts of the Andhra Pradesh.
It was first discovered in Andhra Pradesh’s Kurnool district and is said to be at least 15 times more virulent than the earlier ones. It is reported to be much stronger than the Indian variants B1.617 and B1.618.