7-Day Quarantine in Tamil Nadu for all International Arrivals

Omicron cases raising alarm bells!

Chennai: As the Omicron cases are increasing, from today, Tamil Nadu has mandated week-long home quarantine for all international passengers landing in the state.

Tamil Nadu Health Department said, the new rules include travelers from both at-risk and non-at-risk countries. The state government of Tamil Nadu recorded 34 Omicron cases and all the passengers from countries classified as non-at-risk. Only six per cent of the state's Omicron cases are from at-risk countries, while 25 per cent come from non-at-risk countries.

Ajay Anand, an electronics engineer working in the US, was just one of many travelers caught off-guard by the sudden rule-change. Only right before take-off did the young man from Coimbatore learn about the new state rules. "It's good to check the spread in every way. But for many like me who are coming on a short vacation, it's difficult. Our plans go for a toss."

The state has also ordered international airports in Tamil Nadu to increase random sampling of passengers from non-at-risk countries, to 10 per cent from the present 2 per cent.

Tamil Nadu's daily Covid-19 cases reached 600, with Chennai and Coimbatore accounting for the large number of new positive infections.

On Sunday, CM MK Stalin visited government hospitals and reviewed the state's preparedness in terms of available beds, ICUs, oxygen supply, ambulances and war rooms. The state government says it has 1.15 lakh beds ready in government and private hospitals, in addition to 50,000 beds in Covid care centers.

Till date, 55 per cent of the state's eligible 18+ population has taken both doses while 85 per cent is vaccinated with a single dose.