New Covid strain scare: Four passengers from London to Ahmedabad found Covid positive

Four passengers from London on an Air India flight tested positive for coronavirus at the Ahmedabad airport on Tuesday, an official said.

The four, all Indian citizens, have been admitted to the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Hospital, while the rest of the passengers and the crew will have to remain in home isolation for 15 days, District Development Officer, Ahmedabad, Arun Mahesh Babu told .

Air India flight 1172, with 275 passengers and crew members on board, was the only flight from the UK arriving at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Tuesday.

Following detection of a new strand of mutated coronavirus being found in the UK, the Indian government had issued instructions to all the airports to screen passengers on all the flights arriving from the country.

"As per the guidelines, all the other 271 persons were instructed to remain in home isolation and the administration will be keeping a watch over them. After 15 days, they will be once again checked for corona. Today's flight was the last flight arriving from the UK and from now on, there will no more be any flights," Babu added.

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) sources said that the samples of all the four positive persons will be sent for genome sequencing to check if they have the new strain.

( With inputs from IANS )