Teams from the Health Department in the Nilgiris have been deployed at border checkposts between Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, to check travellers for symptoms of COVID-19, and minimise the risk of the spread of the Omicron variant in the district, District Collector S.P. Amrith said on Friday.
Mr. Amrith told reporters teams comprising doctors and nurses, as well as police and revenue staff, had been deployed at the border checkposts of Choladi, Nadugani, Thaloor and Pattavayal, bordering Kerala, and the Kakkanallah check post, bordering Karnataka. “Travellers from Kerala and Karnataka entering the Nilgiris by bus and private vehicles are being screened for symptoms of COVID-19,” said Mr. Amrith.
Samples for testing are collected from persons exhibiting any symptoms. “If they are travelling to the Nilgiris from other States, they are being asked to turn back. If the travellers belong to Tamil Nadu, test samples are being collected,” he said.
The district administration is also monitoring the entry of international tourists from countries that have reported the presence of the Omicron variant. “Health teams are immediately notified from the airports about the movement of international travellers from the affected countries. So far, no travellers from such countries have come to the district,” he said.
If they visit the Nilgiris, such persons would be quarantined for eight days and tested for COVID-19 before being allowed to travel around in the district, he said. The district administration stated that more than 2,000 RT-PCR tests were being conducted each day and the positivity rate was 0.7 %. “We are also enforcing COVID-appropriate behaviour, such as wearing masks and maintaining physical distance. Fines are being imposed on violators,” said the Collector.
