Covid-19: Bengaluru airport to start screening international passengers

Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar said Wednesday the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) will start conducting the tests soon in view of the global situation.

A guideline will be issued soon and the state government has already started sending the samples for genome sequencing, he said.

The state is prepared to face any kind of situation and all precautionary measures will be taken to curb the spread of the virus, he added.

Bengaluru airport is witnessing heavy footfall these days, with more than one lakh daily commuters, reported media.

The number of arrivals has surged to a much higher level than the last festive season, the Bengaluru International Airport (BIAL) authorities said last week.

The government on Wednesday advised people to wear masks in crowded places in the wake of a spike in Covid-19 cases in China, the US and Japan.

Alarmed by the coronavirus situation in China, the Centre also decided to hold weekly meetings to review the covid situation to build a strategy to avert a surge in India.

After the high-level meeting with top officials and experts on the Covid situation, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya tweeted, “COVID is not over yet. I have directed all concerned to be alert and strengthen surveillance. We are prepared to manage any situation."

Four cases of BF.7 sub-variant of Omicron, which is responsible for the huge Covid-19 surge in China, have been found in the Indian states of Gujarat and Odisha.

The Centre has not imposed any mandatory Covid protocol in the country as of now.

The Health Department of Gujarat confirmed to the media that the patients infected with BF.7 and BF.12 forms of Omicron were reported in October-November.

They were treated in home isolation and have fully recovered now.

The Indian government has already cautioned all states to track coronavirus variants through the INSACOG network. The Health Ministry has written to all states to increase genome sequencing of positive cases.