Argentine tourist, who visited Taj Mahal, goes missing after Covid positive test report

Agra Covid Case: The tourist provided the wrong phone number and incorrect hotel address which has made tracking him down difficult for the authorities.

Over 30,000 tourists visited the Taj Mahal on Wednesday.

An Argentine tourist who recently visited Taj Mahal has tested positive for Covid-19. The tourist visited Taj Mahal on December 26 and was choosen for random testing. His RT-PCR test report came yesterday and it was positive. The authorities then informed him about the test result and thereafter he went missing, said the health department officials of Uttar Pradesh.

The tourist provided the wrong phone number and incorrect hotel address which has made tracking him down difficult for the authorities. The health department has now asked the local intelligence unit, airport authority, ASI and nearby hotels to get details of the missing man.

Chief medical officer, Agra, Arun Kumar Srivastava said, "We are trying to identify the tourist from Argentina who has tested Covid-19 positive. The contact details provided by him are wrong. Hotels have been asked to provide details of tourists from Argentina who have recently checked-in. We have also approached the ASI and airport authority to get details of the man. Once found, he will be isolated to prevent the further spread of the disease."

Meanwhile, over 30,000 tourists visited the Taj Mahal on Wednesday. Visitors waited in queues close to each other to enter the monument after screening at the Western and Eastern gates. Besides, in Mathura district, vigilance has been enhanced in the Vrindavan town where foreign devotees come in large numbers around New Year.

Earlier last week, a 40-year-old man, who returned to Agra from China, tested positive for COVID-19 following which he was isolated at his home, Srivastava had informed.

His samples were sent to Lucknow for genome sequencing. The man returned to Agra from China via Delhi on December 23 following which he was tested at a private lab. The report came out positive for Covid. This was the first Covid positive case in the district detected after November 25, officials said. (With agency inputs)