Two South African citizens who arrived to Bengaluru test positive officials deny emergence of Omicron variant

Two citizens of South Africa who arrived in Bengaluru tested positive for Covid-19, briefly sparking concerns over the new Omicron variant detected in that country before a genome sequencing test found that they had the Delta strain. The development, however, prompted Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to call a high-level meeting on Saturday. Bommai said authorities would intensify screening of international passengers at the airports and make the RT-PCR test report compulsory for those arriving from Kerala and Maharashtra.

A total of 584 people arrived at the Bengaluru airport in November from 10 high-risk countries and 94 of them have returned from South Africa. Three teams deputed round the clock at KIA are monitoring travellers before they come out of the airport. All international travelers are being tested, said Srinivas. The international arrivals from South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong will have to undergo a mandatory RT-PCR test. The international travelers who have arrived in Bengaluru between 12-27 November will be tracked and tested through RT-PCR. Those testing positive will be placed under institutional isolation in hospital for 10 days. Genome sequencing will be fast-tracked, officials said.