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The Bihar government has been able to conduct Covid-19 tests for only 500 out of 4169 people who returned from Gulf countries in the last three months to Gopalganj and Siwan. “Since test kits have not arrived, we were not able to start conducting the test. Test kits arrived only on March 28 and we have started collecting samples from March 29 and have collected over 350 samples so far. For last two-three weeks, all these people having returned from the Gulf have been living with their families. We are not sure if they are following self-quarantine norms,” a source in Gopalganj administration said.
The first positive case with history of travel to Qatar has reportedly infected 10 people. On Tuesday, a person from Gopalganj was tested positive for Covid 19. Blood samples of 16 members of his family were collected and his house was sanitised. In Gopalganj alone, 3,181 people have returned from the Gulf.
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A health department official said that they would get a clear picture in coming 10 days on positive cases for those returned from Gulf countries. “Till we get all reports, we have sanitised the areas where these people have been living. But the biggest challenges of screening out is also taking tests of positive cases’ families and acquaintances who have met them”. In Siwan, 988 people have returned from Gulf. So far, the district administration has taken 140 samples. A doctor at Siwan Sadar hospital said they had identified the areas of Gulf returnees but it was difficult to monitor them.
A health department official said that the state’s biggest challenge is “people who have come from the Gulf”. “Since they have mingled with population now and migrants from other states are also returning, they are sticking to standard triple T – trace, test and treat, formula”, said a senior health department official.
The Bihar government has taken March 1 cut off for testing passengers with foreign travel record. Airport sources said since this February, about 10,000 passengers with foreign travel history – over 95 per cent of them from the Gulf – have returned to Bihar.
Bihar has so far tested 16 positive cases.
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