Delhi govt extends COVID guidelines for UK returnees till Jan 31

The Delhi government has extended till January 31 its earlier order asking people coming from the UK to undergo institutional quarantine in the wake of the new variant of coronavirus. It stands extended up to January 31 now, the latest DDMA order said.

The Delhi government has extended till January 31 its earlier order asking people coming from the UK to undergo institutional quarantine in the wake of the new variant of coronavirus. The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) in its order had prescribed mandatory seven days institutional quarantine even for those UK passengers testing negative for coronavirus. The order was issued after a mutant of the virus having high transmissibility has been reported in UK.

An order issued by Vijay Dev, chief secretary and chairperson of executive committee of DDMA on Tuesday, said the January 8 order will be extended up to January 31.

''The situation has now been reviewed and to contain the increased transmissibility of new variant, it has been decided that aforesaid DDMA Order No 347 dated 8.01.2021 may be further extended till 31.01.2021,'' said the latest DDMA order.

The DDMA in its January 8 order had issued direction that all travellers coming from United Kingdom (UK) to India would be mandatorily subjected to self-paid RT-PCR tests on arrival at the airport. Those who are found positive will be isolated in an institutional isolation facility in a separate (isolation) unit as per existing laid down protocol. Those who are found negative will be kept in compulsory institutional quarantine for a period of seven days followed by seven days of home quarantine, the DDMA order had stated.

A total of 17 Delhi residents have tested positive for the new coronavirus strain first detected in the UK till Saturday.

Further, strict surveillance will be kept on the persons who are in home quarantine after completion of mandatory institutional quarantine, it had directed.

The January 8 DDMA order was issued on a trial basis for a period of one week ending on January 14. It stands extended up to January 31 now, the latest DDMA order said.

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