A passenger, who arrived Chennai via Delhi from London, has tested positive for Covid-19, health department officials said on Tuesday, adding that the test sample has been sent to the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune to check whether it is the new mutant variant of the virus.
The passenger has been shifted to the Kings Institute Hospital, Chennai and is currently under quarantine.
So far 14 passengers who returned from the UK have been identified and are under observation.
India on Monday suspended all flights from the UK
On Monday, India suspended all incoming flights from the UK until December 31 as a precautionary measure after a new mutant coronavirus was discovered in Britain. The suspension flights will start today.
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What is this new strain?
The new coronavirus mutation which is named as B.1.1.7 has been widely tracked in recent cases in the UK, discovered in September. The new variant has triggered panic across countries, including India leading to banning of flights to and from the UK.