New COVID-19 Strain: After Passengers From UK Test Positive In India, A Look At What Indian States Are Doing

Amid rising precautions over the discovery of a new strain of coronavirus in the UK, experts said on Tuesday that it is likely to have already reached India calling for increased whole genome-sequencing based surveillance to detect the new mutation and prevent further spread.

The United Kingdom has said that a fast-moving new variant of the virus may be 70 percent more transmissible than existing strains and appears to be driving the rapid spread of new infections in London and southern England.

While Dr. Samiran Panda, director of ICMR-National AIDS Research Institute (NARI) said on Tuesday that the mutant strain of coronavirus found in the United Kingdom was not seen in the samples tested from various parts of India.

“In the interim, it has been decided that passengers arriving from the UK on all international flights (flights in transit) should be subjected to mandatory RT PCR tests on arrival,” Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said.

The latest SOP has come amid rising precautions that all passengers coming from the UK during the period from December 21 to 23 shall be subjected to the following process.

#IndiaFightsCorona:

📍#SOP for Epidemiological Surveillance and Response in the
context of new variant of SARS-CoV-2 virus detected in United Kingdom.

Details: https://t.co/Q4g5ea5NlU#StaySafe #IndiaWillWin #Unite2FightCorona pic.twitter.com/144s6ZqViq

— #IndiaFightsCorona (@COVIDNewsByMIB) December 22, 2020

Respective state governments shall ensure that all passengers traveling from or transiting through airports in the UK and disembarking in India would be subjected to an RT-PCR test on arrival.

Here is a look at the measures taken by states in the wake of the emergence of the new coronavirus strain in the UK:

• The Maharashtra government will be imposing a night curfew in municipal corporation areas between 11 and 6 am from December 22 to January 5 as a precautionary measure and has released an SOP for dealing with passengers arriving from Europe, South Africa, and the Middle-East.
• The Karnataka government has imposed a night curfew across the state from December 23 till January 2, 2021. The state government has mandated RT-PCR testing for all passengers arriving from the UK to the state. The state government has also mandated seven-day home quarantine for travelers from the UK, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
• The Punjab government is imposing a fine of Rs 1,000 for not wearing masks and not following social distancing norms and has already imposed a night curfew in the state from 10 pm and 5 am.
• The Telangana government has decided to conduct RT-PCR tests on all passengers who are already en route to the state from the UK.
• Delhi government is closely monitoring the situation and have called for mandatory tests at the Delhi airport for all passengers arriving from that country. House-to-house check-up of passengers to assess their condition and they are being advised to isolate themselves for some time.

The new mutation of COVID is spreading fast in UK. Hence, all flights from UK have been banned & we are tracing & testing everyone who recently traveled from UK.

Positivity rate in Delhi is at an all time low. 1.29% for the first time in 8 months. Wear a mask & take precautions. pic.twitter.com/lSYC7B9mBi

— Satyendar Jain (@SatyendarJain) December 22, 2020

• The Odisha government has asked authorities that all passengers traveling from or transiting through airports in the UK and disembarking in India would be subjected to an RT-PCR test on arrival.
• Tamil Nadu Health Secretary J Radhakrishnan has said the state administration is rigorously checking and monitoring international passengers coming into the country.
• Kolkata government is keeping a close watch on the emergence of the new strain of coronavirus. Initiatives like banning flights from the UK is highly recommended. We have to give stress on more stringent quarantine policy even for those who come from other countries.

Addressing a press conference on COVID19 updates, Dr. VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog said: “We are in a good position and we have to keep this momentum. It will help in suppressing the virus by remaining vigilant. In the UK, a new mutation of the virus has been seen.”

Dr. Paul said, “We talked to UK research community and we came to know that the mutation has enhanced the transmissibility rate of the virus. It is being said that the 70 percent transmissibility rate has increased. We can call them that the virus has become super-spreader.”