India detects 6 UK returnees with new coronavirus strain

India found a total of six cases of the mutated coronavirus strain detected in the United Kingdom among the London returnees to the country.

Of the six persons detected with the new strain, three have been kept in single room isolation in designated health care facilities in Bengaluru, two in Hyderabad and one in Pune, reports our new Delhi correspondent quoting a statement by the Indian Health Ministry.

Their close contacts have also been put under quarantine and a comprehensive contact-tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others, it said.

The ministry said the situation is "under careful watch" and regular advice is being provided to the states for enhanced surveillance, containment, testing and dispatch of samples to a consortium of labs.

From November 25 to December 23, about 33,000 passengers disembarked at various Indian airports after arriving from the UK. All these passengers are being tracked and subjected to RT-PCR tests.

Of them, 114 people have so far been found positive. These positive samples have been sent for genome sequencing, according to the ministry.