New Delhi: In a significant development, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba raised a red flag on the surveillance of international passengers who reached India before the government banned commercial flights from abroad from landing in the country.
Gauba said there was a gap in the number of passengers who should have been monitored and the actual number.
“This may seriously jeopardise our efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19, given that many amongst the people who have tested positive for Covid-19 so far in India have a history of international travel,” the Cabinet Secretary said in a letter to all chief secretaries on Thursday.
The cabinet secretary said that between the start of the screening process on January 18 and order to suspend all flights on March 23, over 15 lakh passengers arrived in India.
“However, there appears to be a gap between the number of international passengers who need to be monitored by the states/UTs and the actual number of passengers being monitored. Thus, it may seriously jeopardise our effort to contain the spread of Covid-19, given that many amongst the persons who have tested positive for Covid-19 so far in India have a history of international travel,” Rajiv Gauba said in his letter.
“It is important that they are put under close surveillance to prevent the spread of the epidemic. I understand that the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has repeatedly emphasized thus and requested the states and UTs to take immediate steps in this regard.
The cabinet secretary ended the letter with urging states and UTs to ensure that concerted and sustained action is taken urgently to put such passengers under surveillance immediately as per MoHFW guidelines.