Omicron patient 'escapes' with -ve Covid-19 report in Bengaluru; State tracing 10 more 'missing' SA nationals

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After detection of the country's first two cases of Omicron infection in Bengaluru, the Karnataka Health department is now worried over one of the two men who "escaped" after taking a negative report within three days after testing positive for Covid-19 on arrival. The state is tracking down ten more people who have reportedly gone untraceable in Bengaluru, sources revealed.

These South African nationals had arrived in Bengaluru between November 12 and 22.

The health department, which is on high alert after the detection of Omicron cases, wants to get these persons tested, but they have gone missing, sources said.

The officials said that the persons were not found at the addresses given by them at the airport and their mobile phones were switched off. As many as 57 persons had arrived from high-risk countries.

Also Read: Omicron Covid-19 variant can increase reinfection risk by three-fold: Study

The health department has already approached the police department to track and trace these persons. The department is planning to send all samples to genomic sequencing tests to get clarity on the presence of Omicron virus.

Sources said that the stringent measures at the airport were initiated from November 22 onwards and these ten persons had arrived in Bengaluru before that.

When asked about this, Gaurav Gupta, the Chief Commissioner, stated that he doesn't have any direct information regarding the matter. "I can say that, contact tracing is a continuous process and if they are not found, there are standard protocols to deal with the situation. We are prepared to tackle any situation."

Gaurav Gupta also hinted at initiation of restrictions after the high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

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