As six UK returnees have tested positive for the new strain of Covid-19 in India, the Odisha Government is making an all-out effort to identify the people who have returned to the State from the UK, get them tested and stop further transmission of the virus.
In the first phase, 20 UK returnees were identified, of whom three tested positive. In the second phase, 50 to 60 more returnees have been identified, informed Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Prem Chandra Chaudhary. “We have formed zone-wise teams to trace the returnees based on their phone numbers and addresses.
However, many of them have used their international contact numbers for ticket booking which is being a hurdle for us in tracing them,” he said.
Director of Public Health Dr Niranjan Mishra has requested all such returnees to come forward and cooperate with the Government. “There’s nothing for these returnees to worry about. We will study their genome sequence and are following the SOP issued by the Centre,” he added.