In a shocking development, five people who reached from South Africa between November 28 and December 01 have gone missing in Bengaluru. According to authorities, they are not sure about the whereabouts of these travelers. It should be noted that BBMP is tracking the arrivals of all International travelers from 'high risk' countries in the wake of the threat posed by the Omicron variant of the Covid pandemic. 

Travelers from South Africa pose a huge risk 

Authorities have put a special focus on travelers from South Africa, as two people who returned from the African nation were tested positive for the Omicron variant on Tuesday. 

COVID-19
COVID-19 (Representational Picture)Pixabay

After the detection of the Omicron variant in the city, authorities are trying their best to locate all South African nationals who reached Bengaluru over the past three weeks. Earlier, Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Minister K Sudhakar had claimed that ten people who came from South Africa are missing.

However, authorities later clarified that only five people are missing. 

Strict actions against people who do not cooperate 

Sudhakar revealed that strict actions will be taken against travelers who are not cooperating with authorities. According to authorities, travelers are giving their international numbers, and this factor is making it difficult to trace them. 

"But my appeal is that no one should switch off their mobiles and go untraceable. It is not the right way. They should behave responsibly," said Sudhakar. 

BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta revealed that he doesn't have any direct information regarding the matter. He said, "I can say that contact tracing is a continuous process and if they are not found, there are standard protocols to deal with the situation. We are prepared to tackle any situation."