COVID-19 cases:Lakshadweep MP wants Centre to reimpose 7-day quarantine for travellers at Kochi

Expressing concern over risingCOVID-19 cases in Lakshadweep islands, Lakshadweep MP P PMohammed Faizal on Tuesday said he would request the Centreto bring back the earlier restriction of seven-day quarantineat Kochi for those who travel to the islands from mainland.

''My demand is that the administration shouldhave a relook into the revised Standard Operating Procedure(SOP) which does away with the mandatory quarantine guidelinesfor those arriving at the islands from Kochi.

The older version of the strict quarantine at Kochineeds to be reimposed till the completion of vaccination driveagainst the virus in the islands,'' Faizal told PTI.

The Lok Sabha MP said the islanders, cuttingacross political lines, are protesting the implementation ofthe revised SOP by the island administration.

''I will write to Prime Minister Narendra Modiand Home Minister Amit Shah seeking their intervention in thematter,'' Faizal said.

Lakshadweep had staved off the COVID-19pandemic since its outbreak earlier last year, reporting zerocases as of Monday (January 18).

He said the only reason for the COVID-19 casesin the islands is due to implementation of the new SOP whichcame into force from December 28, 2020.

As per the revised SOP, anyone can now visit theislands from the mainland with a negative test report ofRT-PCR obtained 48 hours before the travel, Faizal said.

The number of COVID-19 cases soared to 14 inLakshadweep islands which remained insulated from the attackof the deadly virus till Monday, since the outbreak of thepandemic in the country nearly a year ago.

A day after the first coronavirus case wasreported in the islands, official sources said 13 people, whowere his primary contacts, tested positive for the virus onTuesday, taking the test positivity rate to 42.4 per cent.

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