Two more US nationals visiting Taj Mahal test Covid positive

The case is the fifth in recent times where those who had a travel history to foreign nations have tested positive for Covid.

Two foreign tourists from the United States of America (USA) tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday. The tourists, both male, aged 63 and 23 years old, were part of the group that visited the Taj Mahal on Tuesday. Their samples were taken by the health department team deployed at the Taj Mahal’s eastern gate.

Earlier, a 40-year-old Argentinian tourist had also tested positive but went missing before his report arrived. His report was found positive on December 28 but he had left Agra by then and remains untraceable since then, with contacts given by him found to be wrong. (FILE PHOTO)

“Both tourists are American nationals. They were part of a group of 15 tourists from America who stayed at a hotel on the eastern side of the Taj Mahal. They visited the Taj Mahal on December 10, 2022, and were tested for Covid-19 at the desk laid at the eastern gate of the Taj Mahal by the health department,” said chief medical officer (CMO) Agra Dr AK Srivastava.

“The reports came on Thursday and two of the group members, both male, tested positive for Covid. The group had left for Jaipur on Tuesday night thus the information has been forwarded to the authorities in Jaipur for the required follow-up,” stated CMO Agra Dr Srivastava.

“We are sending both positive tested samples to King George’s Medical University (KGMU) Lucknow for genome sequencing to know the variant,” added CMO Agra.

On January 03, 2023, a 34-year-old Agra local tested positive after returning from the USA on December 30, 2022. He had gone to the US for studies. He suffered from a sore throat and got himself tested in a private lab where he was confirmed Covid positive. He was placed in home isolation in Agra.

His sample was also sent for genome sequencing to King George’s Medical University, Lucknow.

Earlier, a 40-year-old Argentinian tourist had also tested positive but went missing before his report arrived. His report was found positive on December 28 but he had left Agra by then and remains untraceable since then, with contacts given by him found to be wrong.