No new COVID-19 case in Andamans for six days

Despite a steady inflow oftourists into Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Union Territoryhas not recorded a single fresh COVID-19 case for six straightdays, a health department official said on Monday.

The caseload in the archipelago remained at 4,994, hesaid.

The death toll was at 62 as no new fatality due to theinfection was reported in the last 24 hours, the officialsaid.

The Union Territory now has four active cases, and4,928 people have recovered from the disease so far.

The COVID-19 inoculation drive was not carried out onJanuary 31 as the National Immunisation (NID) round of PulsePolio 2020-21 started on the day, he said.

Altogether, 2,844 health workers have so far receivedthe shots of COVID-19 vaccine in the Union Territory.

The overall coronavirus situation is under control inthe archipelago as the local administration has been strict toensure that health safety protocols are followed to containthe spread of the disease, he said.

The Andaman and Nicobar administration has conducted2,23,137 sample tests for COVID-19 so far, and the positivityrate stands at 2.24 per cent, he said.

The islands remained coronavirus-free till the firstweek of June last year. The first case in the Union Territorywas detected on June 10, 2020.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported its first COVID-19 death on July 27 last year.

Official sources said anybody arriving here by flightsor reaching by ships from Kolkata or Chennai is mandatorilyrequired to show a negative coronavirus report before theauthorities allow them to enter the islands.

The tourism industry, which was severely hit due tothe COVID-19 pandemic, has started witnessing a steady inflowof travellers into the archipelago as all the major touristdestinations in the islands have been opened.