Omicron scare: Odisha on alert after 380 persons return from 'at risk' countries in 2 days

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At least 380 passengers from Omicron 'at-risk' countries have arrived in Odisha in just two days, officials said on Thursday. While 224 persons returned to Odisha on November 28, 156 persons arrived in the state on November 29, said state Public Health director Nirnajan Mishra.

"Till now, we have received this much data from the concerned authority. We have shared the details of the travellers with the district administrations for further follow up action," he said.

It has been made mandatory that all passengers arriving from foreign countries will have to undergo RT-PCR test before entering the state.

Those found positive will immediately be sent to isolation and the swab samples will be sent for genome sequencing, Mishra said.

If the test report comes negative, the traveller or returnee will have to remain under seven-day home quarantine mandatorily and again undergo another round of Covid-19 test on the eighth day, the director said.

After that, the concerned person will also remain under self-observation for another seven days. In total, one person will have to remain under surveillance for at least 14 days, he added.

Meanwhile, 33 students of a Plus II residential college in Dhenkanal town of Odisha tested Covid-19 positive. The local authority sealed college buildings and its hostel, and declared it as a micro containment zone.

More than 70 students of medical college in Burla of Sambalpur district, 53 girl students of a government-run high school in Sundargarh and 26 students of a tribal school in Mayurbhanj district have tested positive for the virus in the past few days.

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