As a precaution against Omicron, all foreign travellers to Jammu and Kashmir will compulsorily be RTPCR tested on their arrival and even the negative travellers will be sent for home quarantine of 7 days. Sticker of ‘Home Quarantine’ shall be pasted outside their residence.

They will be re-tested on the 8th day, while the COVID positive travellers will be sent to institutional isolation centres (designated health facilities) for 15 days and their samples will also be sent for genome sequencing at ICMR designated testing laboratories.

Divisional Commissioners of Kashmir and Jammu, Pandurang K Pole and Raghav Langer today reviewed testing, mitigation measures in light of the fresh worldwide alert due to the new COVID-19 variant Omicron.

The Divisional Commissioner directed the concerned officers to assess data from Air Suvidha Portal for early detection of incoming travellers from countries listed at-risk. State Surveillance Officer was told to share the lists with CMO’s and field surveillance units on real-time basis.

The CMOs were asked to paste stickers of ‘home quarantine’ on the gate of foreign travellers during the observation period of 8 days.

The Divisional Commissioners directed the district administration of entry point districts ie Kathua, Jammu and Reasi (in Jammu) to notify the Government and Paid quarantine centres to deal with any future situation.

The Divisional Commissioner directed for ensuring compulsory RTPCR testing of all foreign travellers at the air, road and rail entry points and to hold them up till the negative report is not reached.

They also stressed the need to ramp up random RAT testing of domestic travellers at the Airport, Lakhanpur and Katra as a preventive measure. All passengers landing at the Srinagar airport will be tested.

Deputy Commissioner Kathua was told to activate a separate testing counter for persons having a history of foreign travel besides putting in place all requisite arrangements for quarantine facilities at Lakhanpur that is the entry point into J&K from Punjab.

The health department was directed to designate separate wards for positive patients with a foreign travel history and to ensure that they are not mixed with the local positive cases without foreign travel history.

It was informed in the meeting that DRDO Hospital Jammu would be the designated facility for containment of positive cases having foreign travel history.

Langer stressed strengthening surveillance and directed the Deputy Commissioners to ensure that proper mechanism is being followed at Airport, Lakhanpur, Katra and Jammu Railway stations and south portal of Navyuga tunnel at Ramban.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Commissioner Jammu, Anshul Garg; SSP Jammu, Chandan Kohli; Director Airport, Director Health Services, State Surveillance officer, Nodal officer Divisional control room and other concerned officers while Deputy Commissioners of Kathua, Reasi, Ramban, MD NHM participated in the meeting through video conferencing.