Omicron threat: Two foreign returnees from UK and Canada test positive for Covid-19 in MP

Earlier in the day, it was reported that a German national aged 28, who even attended a wedding, tested positive for Covid-19 in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district.

As many as two foreign returnees have tested positive in Madhya Pradesh, even as cases of Omicron variant of Covid-19 continue to rise in India, news agency ANI reported on Tuesday.

India revised its travel guidelines starting December 1 in which those arriving from at risk countries have to mandatorily undergo a seven-day quarantine. (HT Photo)

The latest positive reports, according to Bhopal district administration, have been detected in two individuals who recently landed in the state from the United Kingdom and Canada. The administration said that both of their samples have been sent for genome sequencing to find out if they are infected with the Omicron variant of coronavirus.

This latest development comes after it was reported earlier in the day that a German national, who landed in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur from New Delhi, tested positive for Covid-19. The 28-year-old, who reportedly has been administered with both doses of Covid-19 vaccine as well as a booster dose, also attended a wedding. Owing to such a mass-scale exposure, samples of at least 50 individuals have been collected for testing, Jabalpur district contact officer Dr D Mohanty said.

The man tested negative for Covid-19 in the Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) at the airport, but his RT-PCR report came back as positive. Following this, he has been kept under isolation at a Covid-designated care centre of a local government medical college, Dr Mohanty added.

India has so far reported 23 Omicron cases, however, Madhya Pradesh is yet to report any Omicron cases in India. Maharashtra has logged most cases with 10 infections, while Delhi, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Gujarat are the other states where the new Covid-19 variant have been detected.

Meanwhile, a total of 12 foreign returnees, out of more than 300, are untraceable in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official told ANI. These missing people are from Thane's Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) where Omicron cases have already been reported. KDMC commissioner Vijay Sooryavanshi said that the untraceable people have kept their phones switched off, while addresses that others provided are “locked up.”

Omicron, which was first discovered in South Africa last month, has so far spread to more than 30 countries. Owing to its high virulence, several countries have imposed travel bans on affected nations in the southern African region. India also revised its travel guidelines starting December 1 in which those arriving from at-risk countries have to mandatorily undergo a seven-day quarantine, while RT-PCR tests have been made compulsory for all international arrivals.