An Indian national travelling from South Africa has tested positive for COVID-19 upon return to his home country, causing panic among Indian officals. It is not yet confirmed if he is infected with the Omicron variant of the virus, The Indian Express reported on Monday.
The 32-year-old is a resident of Mumbai and has now been transferred to an institutional quarantine centre. He is under observation. He arrived in Delhi from South Africa on 24 November and then took a connecting flight to Mumbai.
"We have sent his samples for genome sequencing to find out if he is carrying the Omicron variant", Dr Pradeep Vyas, Additional Chief Secretary (Health), said.
Meanwhile, authorities in several Indian cities, including Delhi and Mumbai, have begun contacting passengers who arrived in the city over the last 15 days from "countries of concern", including South Africa, and checking on their health.
On Saturday, two travellers from South Africa tested positive for COVID-19 in the Indian state of Karnataka. However, it was found that they were infected with the Delta strain of the virus.
Indian Gov't Changes Its Travel Guidelines
On Sunday evening, Indian authorities changed the nation's international travel guidelines and said that passengers must submit a 14-day travel history and upload negative COVID test results.
"Travellers from countries deemed 'at-risk' will also undergo a mandatory seven-day home quarantine if they test negative for the virus", the guidelines added.
These "at-risk" places, as of 26 November, include the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Israel, and Hong Kong.
The new guidelines are set to come into effect from Wednesday, 1 December.
These passengers will need to take a COVID-19 test post-arrival and wait for results at the airport before leaving or taking any connecting flights. If the test is negative, they'll have to observe home quarantine for seven days, retest on the eighth day, and if negative again, further self-monitor for the next seven days.