Omicron scare: Two international travellers test COVID-19 positive in Tamil Nadu, reports awaited

Representational Image (Credits: PTI)

Chennai: International flights that arrived in Tamil Nadu from Singapore and the UK are under close watch, after two passengers tested positive for COVID-19. The two passengers who tested positive have been admitted in hospitals and isolated. 

Samples for genome sequencing and identifying the COVID-19 variant are also being tested, according to the Tamil Nadu Government. This comes just a day after two cases of the new COVID variant of concern Omicron were detected in neighbouring Karnataka. 

Elaborating on this, Tamil Nadu Health Minister Subramanian said that the Singapore returnee had tested positive at the Trichy airport, whereas a 10-year old boy, returning from the UK had been tested positive at Chennai. 

He also added that the passengers who sat in adjoining rows, air attendants, and close contacts, families of the two travellers were being tested and monitored. 

Currently, passengers from 21 high-risk countries including the UK, South Africa, Hong Kong, Botswana, Israel, Singapore etc, are undergoing mass fever screening, on landing at airports in Tamil Nadu. 

Following the fever screening, they undergo RTPCR tests. Those testing positive would be admitted and isolated in Government hospitals, while those testing negative would have to undergo 7-day home quarantine and monitoring. 

Requesting the public to not panic, the Minister assured that the Tamil Nadu government would immediately make an announcement, in the event of an Omicron case being detected. He also urged the public to follow standard COVID-19 protocols and ensure that all eligible persons had taken both jabs of the COVID-19 vaccines. 

In terms of daily RTPCR testing, he said that Tamil Nadu was performing over one lakh tests, of which only around 700 persons were tested positive.