6 Air Passengers Found ‘Corona Positive’ Despite Carrying RTPCR Negative Report
Port Blair, April 16: As part of the Administration’s effort towards containing the COVID-19 cases in these Islands, Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) was done on all the passengers who alighted at Port Blair from different flights. The RAT conducted by the Administration is being done with the objective to double check whether the arriving passenger is a carrier of the virus so as to stop its further transmission, keeping in view the safety of other Islanders. This initiative of the Administration has yielded result as during the RAT conducted at Port Blair, 5 passengers were found Corona positive despite the fact that they were carrying RTPCR negative report with them, informed the Secretary IP&T, Shri Sunil Kumar Singh while addressing a press conference in the conference hall of the IP&T today. (At the time of press briefing, the number of passengers tested positive on arrival was 5 while, one more person was tested positive later taking the tally to 6).
The Secretary informed that the persons found positive were immediately isolated and are under Institutional Quarantine as per Standard Operating Procedures in COVID Care Centres. He said that the Administration has made elaborate arrangements for taking care of the persons tested corona positive. He further mentioned that symptomatic cases, if found serious in nature will be admitted in G.B Pant Hospital as per the advice of the doctors while asymptomatic cases will be shifted to COVID Care Centres functioning in Govt. Institutions. He said that for taking care of persons tested corona positive, a total of 80 beds (60 beds with oxygen facility and 20 beds with ventilator facility) are available in G.B Pant Hospital, 44 beds in Haddo Circuit House, 80 beds in DBRAIT, 79 beds in ITI Dollygunj which can be increased upto 240 and 39 beds kept as reserved at South Point Circuit House. The Secretary also informed that some hoteliers voluntarily came forward offering rooms for COVID patients. He said, if COVID positive persons intends to stay in hotels then they have to bear the hotel expenditure by themselves.
The Secretary further informed that in the RAT test conducted at Ferrargunj among the travellers bound for North and Middle Andaman, 8 persons were tested corona positive while 2 passengers were tested positive at Mohanpura Bus Stand who were also bound for North & Middle Andaman and one person was tested positive at G.B. Pant Hospital. All these positive persons were immediately isolated and were shifted to COVID Care Centres, he added.
The Secretary also disclosed that an additional WhatsApp no. 9531888844 has been launched by the District Administration South Andaman and the people have been urged to click pictures of COVID appropriate behavior violators viz. not wearing face masks, not following social distancing norms indicating the area, time and other relevant details, so that stringent action can be taken against the violators.
The DHS, Dr. Omkar Singh informed that the double checking at the airport today has benefitted a lot in our effort to check the entry of positive cases into A&N Islands. He said there is no dearth of beds in all the Districts of A&N Islands and if required, in Inter-Islands, Govt. Guest Houses can all be used as COVID Care Centres. At present, there are 40 ventilators in A&N Islands. Apart from G.B Pant Hospital, 2 ventilators each are in North & Middle Andaman and Car Nicobar. With collective effort of every individual towards the fight against the COVID pandemic, we can win the war against COVID-19.