Covid-19: Alert sounded on Indo Nepal Border

Amid the sudden spurt in Covid cases in some countries, the Maharajganj district administration on Saturday swung into action and sounded alert at the open Indo-Nepal Border considering it a high-risk zone as thousands of people cross the border on a daily basis.

Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) of Nautanwa in Maharajganj, Dinesh Mishra said an alert has been sounded on the border and thermal scanning and antigen test has already started at the Sunauli border. He said the authorities have activated all checkpoints and the Covid test before entering India from Nepal has been made mandatory.

Chief medical officer (CMO) of Maharajganj Neena Verma said that two teams are carrying out Covid tests in two shifts at the border and so far, no positive case has been detected in the district.

As per the reports, the Nepal government has also asked their people to abide by the Covid protocol as the risk following the spread of the new variant of coronavirus has increased.

In Gorakhpur, health officials are in alert mode. Chief medical officer Dr Ashutosh Dubey said that after random Covid tests 44 passengers at Gorakhpur airport were found positive. However, no symptoms were reported in them. As a result, they have been recommended one week of isolation as a safety measure.

He said with detailed guidelines from the government, sample and testing would also be increased. Meanwhile, the principal of BRD medical College Dr Ganesh Kumar said medical staff has been put on high alert. He also appealed to the people not to panic but take precautions and avoid unnecessary travelling.

A Covid test booth has also been set up at Gorakhpur railway station. Chief public relation officer Pankaj Kumar Singh said RPF personnel are maintaining vigil and focussing on social distancing apart from appealing to people for using facemasks and sanitisers.

Abdur Rahman