Since Sunday, two travellers, one of whom was a foreign national, have tested positive for Covid-19 at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, according to authorities.
“One of them was a British national. She had come from Australia via Kuala Lumpur and was going to Bodh Gaya in Bihar. The woman was shifted to the Infectious Diseases and BG Hospital in Kolkata,” a senior West Bengal health department official, said.
The second traveller to test positive for Covid-19, according to a senior airport officer, is an Indian national from the Darbhanga area of Bihar. He took a flight from Dubai to get to the airport. “Both samples are being sent for genome sequencing,” the health department official said.
India started randomly testing 2% of visitors from other countries last week for the Covid-19 virus after other nations, mainly China, reported an increase in cases. To assess their level of readiness, health department representatives met with district leaders and the directors of state-run hospitals in Kolkata.
“Three state-run hospitals in Kolkata – Infectious Diseases and BG Hospital, Sambhu Nath Pandit Hospital and MR Bangur Hospital – have been identified where Covid-19 patients would be shifted,” said the official.
Thus, according to health officials, the state saw nine new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday. Data from the state health department show that there are 53 active cases in the state.
Also Read: Sri Lanka Crisis: Ousted Ex-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa With Family Leaves For US
