New Covid-19 strain: Government issues SOPs for UK travelers

NEW DELHI: The government on Tuesday issued Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) for people who have recently traveled to the United Kingdom in view of the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 detected in northwestern Europe.

Union health ministry releasing the SOPs said that the new variant of SARS-CoV-2 is more transmissible and affects the younger population.

The ministry in its statement also warned that the changes in the spike protein of the virus may result in the virus becoming more infectious and spreading more easily between people.

Here are the latest guidelines:

• All international travelers are required to declare travel history of the past 14 days and fill the self-declaration forms.

• Those international travelers from the UK who have arrived in India between November 25 and December 8, 2020 (1st & 2nd week from November 25) will have to undergo RT-PCR tests.

• In the case of a positive sample, the spike gene-based RT-PCR test will also be performed.

• Passengers testing positive will be sent to an institutional isolation facility by respective state authorities.

• If a traveler is detected to be carrying the current strain of Covid-19, they will be administered the ongoing treatment protocol, including home isolation or treatment at the facility level depending on the severity of the disease.

• If the person is found to be carrying the new variant of SARS-CoV-2, then he/she will continue to remain in a separate isolation unit.

• State governments will ensure that passengers traveling from or transiting through airports in the UK and disembarking in India undergo RT-PCR test upon arrival.

• Those international travelers from the UK who have arrived in India from November 25 to December 8 will also be contacted by District Surveillance Officers and advised to self-monitor their health.

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