Panchkula foreign returnees under watch

Panchkula, December 2

The local Health Department has increased surveillance on foreign returnees in the wake of the new variant of the coronavirus, Omicron.

A health official said every person coming from abroad would have to undergo the RT-PCR test and remain in home isolation for the next seven days if they tested negative.

After the seven-day quarantine, people would be retested for Covid on the eight day.

The Civil Surgeon, Dr Mukta Kumar, said, “For effective monitoring of foreign returnees, we have also sought help from residents’ welfare associations.” Since November 26, at least 161 foreign returnees have entered the city, of whom 74 have been traced and 87 are “under investigation”.

“No one is untraced,” mentioned the daily Covid bulletin today. Panchkula Deputy Commissioner Mahavir Kaushik yesterday presided over a meeting of the Covid monitoring committee.

He directed health officials to strengthen Covid measures and reviewed arrangements for an anticipated third wave of the pandemic amid the Omicron scare.

The police, the MC and all incident commanders have been instructed to strictly challan people found without a mask in public space and ensure implementation of Covid-appropriate behaviour in crowded places such as the bus stand and markets.

A decision to set up a Covid care centre at Nirankari Satsang Bhavan in Sector 9 for better care of new patients was also taken by the DC.

The centre can accommodate up to 50 patients. —TNS