MANGALURU: In the wake of new novel coronavirus strain found in the
United Kingdom, the health department in
Dakshina Kannada district has been preparing a list of all
international passengers, who arrived at the
Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) through transit flights via Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai and from airports in Maharashtra and Kerala.
District health and family welfare officer (DHO) Dr Ramachandra Bairy said those international passengers who arrived in the district from December 7 onwards should voluntarily report at their nearest health centres and undergo the RT-PCR test. They may visit the primary health centres, city health centres, community health centres, taluk hospitals or Wenlock Hospital to undergo the test, Dr Bairy said, and requested the people to inform medical officers, health workers Asha workers or Anganwadi workers, if they come across any international passengers in their locality.
For more information, people may call the DHO (9449843050), district nodal officer for Covid-19 (9972343984), district surveillance officer (9972343984), taluk health officers of Mangaluru (9448151928), Bantwal (9845838677), Belthangady (9845967576), Puttur (9448445853) or Sullia (9449662224), the DHO said. Meanwhile, the department has already contacted 56 passengers, who have arrived in MIA from the UK from December 7. Sources in the health department said that all passengers have been contacted and their throat swabs will be collected on Wednesday.
Though there are no direct flights from the UK to MIA, those 56 expats have arrived through Bengaluru and other airports. Currently, all of them are in touch with the health department and they will be shifted to hospitals immediately if they are tested positive. If their samples test negative, they will be advised to remain in quarantine for 14 days under the department’s observation. If reports are negative, the samples will also be sent to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro-Sciences (Nimhans) in Bengaluru, officials said.