Consider early re-testing of COVID positive international flyers: HC to Delhi govt

FILE - Passengers walk through Salt Lake City International Airport in Salt Lake City, Oct. 27, 2020. More than a year and a half after COVID-19 concerns prompted the U.S. to close its borders to international travelers from countries including Brazil, China, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom and much of Europe, restrictions are shifting to focus on vaccine status. Beginning Monday, bans on travel from specific countries are over. The U.S. will allow in international travelers, but they must be vaccinated — with a few exceptions. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) (AP) — FILE - Passengers walk through Salt Lake City International Airport in Salt Lake City, Oct. 27, 2020. More than a year and a half after COVID-19 concerns prompted the U.S. to close its borders to international travelers from countries including Brazil, China, India, South Africa, the United Kingdom and much of Europe, restrictions are shifting to focus on vaccine status. Beginning Monday, bans on travel from specific countries are over. The U.S. will allow in international travelers, but they must be vaccinated — with a few exceptions. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File) **(AP)**

2 min read . Updated: 04 Jan 2022, 05:37 PM IST Livemint

The matter came to light as Justice Rekha Palli was hearing a petition of mother whose 18-year-old son from the United Kingdom was admitted to a private hospital for isolation after testing positive for the virus upon his arrival

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In case there is no guideline, it expected the Delhi government consider early re-testing of international travellers who test positive for COVID-19 on arrival, Delhi high court told city government today.

The matter came to light as Justice Rekha Palli was hearing a petition of mother whose 18-year-old son from the United Kingdom was admitted to a private hospital for isolation after testing positive for the virus upon his arrival. The HC also equired why the genome sequencing report of patient, who was found to be infected with the Omicron variant, cannot be shared with him.

The petitioner noted though her son was now with her, several other patients were being held up in various health facilities as COVID tested are not being doneregularly.

“It is expected that in case no guidelines are issued by the Union of India, the Delhi government will expeditiously consider the matter so that patients, like the petitioner's son, do not suffer. Delhi government will also inform why the genome test report can't be made available," the judge said in the order.

Meanwhile, the counsel for the hospital stated that while the COVID-19 test report has already been shared with patient. But, it could not provide the genome sequencing report as it was with the government authorities.

“We don't have a copy of the genome report. We get an excel sheet (from the authorities)," said the counsel.

In response to the petitioner's assertion that the hospital was not conducting any re-test upon her son when he was admitted, the lawyer said that the hospital administration was only following the Delhi government directive that international travellers who test positive for the virus have to be re-tested on the tenth day of the first test or after three days of being asymptomatic, whichever is later.

Delhi government counsel Arun Panwar said the directive was in line with the guidelines issued by the Centre and sought time to seek instructions. Central government counsel Bharati Raju stated that there was no ban on repeat RT-PCR in their guidelines.

(With inputs from agencies)

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