4 UK travellers test positive for coronavirus after arriving in Goa

Four passengers from the United Kingdom tested positive for coronavirus after arriving in Goa on Tuesday, state Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said.

In the wake of scare regarding the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, the Goa government has set up a special facility at a primary health centre (PHC) at Cansaulim in South Goa district where COVID-19 patients are kept while their samples are sent for genome sequencing to ascertain if they are infected with the new variant.

The coastal state has so far not reported any case of the Omicron variant.

Rane in a tweet on Tuesday said, "All passengers who arrived from UK today morning were tested on arrival. Four travellers have been tested positive. They have been isolated at PHC Cansaulim.

The passengers had arrived here by a flight being operated under the government's Vande Bharat Mission (VBM).

The Goa Airport in a tweet said, Today morning 103rd VBM flight arrived from London @HeathrowAirport at Goa Airport. Int'l Arrival pax undergo thermal screening and complete exit formalities upon arrival. Team Goa resolved to provide safe and smooth arrivals of pax."

Goa on Monday reported 27 new cases of coronavirus, raising the infection tally in the state to 1,79,769, while the death toll remained unchanged at 3,485, an official earlier said.