CM Biplab Kumar Deb made compulsory swab test for returnees in Tripura

A CORRESPONDENT

AGARTALA: Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb has issued an instruction that swab test be conducted on all the passengers coming from outside the State, especially those coming from Maharashtra, a coronavirus hotspot in the country. He issued the instruction after 20 Maharashtra returnees were detected as coronavirus positive.

Initially, the government had decided to test one out of five returnees. But this changed after 16 and 4 persons were detected positive on Sunday and Monday respectively. It is being learned that the Chief Minister told the officials that the situation is grave and there is no scope to take any chance.

A total of 1,154 passengers arrived in a special train from Maharashtra on May 21 and out of them, swab test was done in case of 344 persons following the 5:1 norm. Only one person was taken into institutional quarantine while all others were told to undergo home quarantine.

An instruction has already been sent to the District Magistrates and the health workers have already started collecting swabs from another 810 persons who travelled by this train and testing them. A government official said the decision of mass swab test was taken only to avoid any risk as all of them came from various hotspots in Maharashtra. He said the swab collection has already started and will be completed by Tuesday.

Official sources said a total of seven special trains from different places of the country arrived in Tripura with 8,280 passengers. So far, 20 persons from Maharashtra and five from Chennai were tested positive. Three others who came by train from Delhi were also tested positive but all of them boarded the train from New Jalpaiguri station.

The government has urged the people not to panic and to follow restrictions the government has announced. All the District Magistrates has also been instructed to launch a massive campaign about the do's and don'ts. 

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