Amit Mohan Prasad, Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary (Health) in a letter issued on Friday informed that Uttar Pradesh is likely to make COVID-19 test mandatory for passengers arriving from Maharashtra and Kerala.
“The letter was addressed to Uttar Pradesh Government and mentioned that surveillance on passengers arriving from Kerala and Maharashtra is likely to increase,” mentioned the letter.
An antigen test must be made mandatory for all passengers arriving from these states was suggested by Amit Mohan and if found symptomatic, then the passenger must undergo an RT-PCR test.
The letter mentioned that, “All passengers arriving in the state via rail routes shall follow the same protocol. The government will get information about passengers coming by rail route or via buses etc. from the concerned transport authority and will monitor and test the passengers as per the requirement.”
“Instructions issued to place promotional material in all districts with the contact number of Chief Medical Officer and District Surveillance Unit,” read the letter in Hindi.
On February 24, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has deputed high-level multi-disciplinary teams to Maharashtra, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Jammu and Kashmir for supporting them in public health measures for targeted COVID response and management.
The three-member multidisciplinary teams will work closely with the states and UT administration and ascertain the reasons for the recent surge in the number of COVID19 cases, according to the official release.
They will also coordinate with health authorities of the states and UT for requisite COVID-19 control measures to break the chain of transmission.
The states and UTs have been advised for regular critical review of the emerging situation with concerned district officials to ensure that gains made so far in COVID management are not lost.
