A new controversy is blowing out of proportions in AP on the issue of large numbers of foreign returnees remaining untraced by the government. The officials have now begun efforts to identify these returnees to make them pass through Central guidelines. Meanwhile, TDP MLA Gorantla Buchaiah Chowdary accused the Jagan Reddy government of failing to ensure mandatory screening of most of the 15,000 odd foreign returnees.

Buchaiah says this is irresponsible and the government’s negligence has posed a huge public health risk from the still untraceable foreign returnees who have mixed with local population. These returnees didn’t come for tests out of fear or ignorance or confidence of their infection-free status. Some of them may have asymptomatic conditions wherein they are infected but won’t show fever, dry cough or breathing problems. These people also spread the infection though they may have no outward symptoms which won’t get complicated.

Now, the immediate task of officials is to prevent these returnees from mixing with local population without following home isolation for 14 days and without undergoing relevant tests. Clock is ticking fast for Jagan Sarkar to act quickly to prevent a bigger catastrophe.