Four foreign nationals who came to attend the religious preaching of Tibetan Spiritual Leader Dalai Lama at Gaya have been found to be Covid positive raising fears of a surge in the number of Covid cases at the religious place. The foreigners have currently been isolated at a hotel in Bodh Gaya, said Civil surgeon Dr Ranjan Kumar Singh.
He also said that random corona screening of the passengers arriving at Gaya International Airport is being done during which the four passengers were found to be Covid positive. “The four foreigners had come to Bodhgaya to attend Dalai Lama’s religious programme to be held from December 29 to 31. One of them is from Myanmar and the other three are the residents of Bangkok,” he said.
“The condition of all four is normal and they are being treated. Following the positive cases, the Covid detection process has been accelerated,” he added.
The testing for Covid-19 is being carried out at the Gaya international airport and Gaya railway station.
As per the Centre’s guidelines, two per cent of international passengers arriving at Indian airports are to be tested.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has already held a meeting with top officials and experts to take stock of the Covid situation in the country.
The entire country is gearing up for a possible fourth wave of Covid-19, with the new Omicron sub-variant BF.7, which is said to be the reason behind the surge in Covid cases in China, being detected in India.