Visakhapatnam: The Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) is confining crews and officials to ships coming from abroad in view of the scare over the rapidly-spreading Omicron variant of the Coronavirus. On an average, five ships arrive at the port with cargo from various countries.
“We are not allowing any crew member or official to enter the port premises. They are being confined to their vessels till the handling is completed. We are sending medical teams to screen them and conducting RT-PCR tests on suspected cases,’’ said VPA chairman K. Ramamohan Rao.
He told Deccan Chronicle on Monday that local officials boarding foreign ships were being screened.
Four vessels had arrived at the Visakhapatnam Port from South Africa, an at-risk country, since December 1, health officials of the port said. They said the RT-PCR test was conducted on 133 suspect cases and all of them tested negative.
Similar protocols were maintained during the two earlier phases of Covid-19, a port official added.
