Punjab to begin rapid antigen testing from next week

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 3

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Friday announced the launch of a pilot project for Covid-19 rapid antigen testing from the coming week as well as e-registration for persons entering the state through the Shambhu border to ensure strict monitoring of thousands of people coming from the high-risk NCR region every day.

On the successful completion of the pilot rapid antigen project, which will cover a minimum of 1,000 tests, migrants coming back to the state in the wake of the reopening of industries and for work in paddy fields will be tested.

The state government will procure rapid antigen testing kits to scale up its Covid-testing capacity, which is currently already higher than the Centre’s mandated 140 tests per million per day in regions with positivity factor of less than 10 per cent.

Notwithstanding the Centre’s revised guidelines replacing home quarantine for domestic travellers with self-monitoring, the Chief Minister ruled out any such move in Punjab in view of the large number of people coming to the state every day from Delhi/NCR, where cases are currently spiralling.

The Chief Minister also made it clear that no vehicle should be allowed to enter the state without a stringent monitoring mechanism in place. He was reviewing the Covid situation and preparedness in the state with senior government and health officials through video-conferencing.

Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan said strict monitoring would be ensured of all entrants with private players being roped in to ensure implementation of home quarantine with phone-based monitoring and regular visits. Further, all entrants to the state would be required to mandatorily register themselves either on the COVA app or the government web portal and the registration certificate with a bar code should be carried on the vehicle windscreen. Those without the certificate printout on their cars would be stopped and made to register on the spot at the border before proceeding further, she said.

With the requirement of passes done away with in Unlock 2.0 by the Centre, e-registration would help in monitoring and tracking incoming domestic travellers, she added.

Meanwhile, to prevent the outbreak of water-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria during the current season, the Chief Minister directed the Local Government and Rural Development Departments to undertake a 15-day intensive sanitation campaign in addition to the ongoing spraying of disinfectants.