All 138 UK passengers without negative Covid certificate traced; samples collected, says Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar

The Karnataka government has successfully traced 138 passengers who had arrived in the state from the UK without a Covid-19 test report, said Health Minister Dr Sudhakar on Wednesday.

As many as 2,500 international passengers had arrived in Karnataka from the UK between November 25 and December 23. However, out of these, 138 who returned on December 19 and 20 from the UK did not have a negative Covid-19 certificate.

Sudhakar revealed that all these 138 passengers from the UK had been traced and their samples had been collected.

"We are awaiting the test results soon," Dr Sudhakar said. The collected samples will be sent to one of the four labs in Bengaluru that specialise in genetic sequencing -- NIMHANS, National Centre for Biological Sciences, IISc or National Institute of Virology, Bengaluru Field Unit, according to the minister.

"The cost of the sequencing will be borne by the state government and passengers need not pay for it. Results will be available in two to three days," he added.

Apart from this, the health department is monitoring the health status of those who had returned from the UK earlier.

"Those who have arrived in Karnataka in the past two weeks will be monitored by the officials of the health department. Among them, only the symptomatic will be tested. Those who have arrived in the first two weeks since November 25 have to self-monitor at home," Dr Sudhakar explained.

Further, all international passengers arriving from any part of the world must land with a Covid-19 Negative certificate which is not older than 72 hours or get the test done on arrival at the airport. The minister clarified that there was no ban on interstate travel.