Several passengers travelling to Jharkhand from other states by trains and buses have gone traceless after testing Covid positive during routine tests conducted upon arrival in the state, officials said on Monday, claiming that such passengers were trying to dodge quarantine by providing incorrect wrong contact details.

While the count of active Covid cases in Jharkhand has already quadrupled in the past one month, passengers providing wrong addresses may cause a further rise in cases by infecting locals they come in contact with, officials added.

Covid testing teams deployed at Ranchi Railway Station have been having a tough time convincing all passengers to undergo rapid tests upon arrival. A healthcare worker deployed at the station said that many passengers tried to dodge Covid testing at the railway station and run away from the staff deployed there to conduct Covid tests. Many of these passengers were even reluctant to show their address proof, which only carries their permanent address, and not the address of the place they would go to in Jharkhand.

“Contact tracing is an important step to prevent the transmission of virus in localities here. Many passengers travelling from other states have tested positive for Covid-19 lately, and it is time they start acting responsibly,” said Ranchi Civil Surgeon Dr Vinod Kumar.

The government’s concern over interstate passengers triggering a rise in cases is justified as several people travelling to the state from Odisha and Bihar were found infected recently. On October 23, at least 55 passengers, who got down from Tapaswini Express and Rourkela Passenger Train at the Hatia Railway Station in Ranchi, were found infected by coronavirus.

As per data compiled by the health department, the active caseload of Covid-19 had jumped to 224 by Monday morning. Ranchi, which is well-connected to most other Indian states, alone accounted for 145 of the 224 active cases in Jharkhand. While Ranchi has been reporting a spike in cases since Durga Puja, fresh Covid cases have also surfaced in some of the districts that had zero Covid patients until Dussehra.

Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Arun Kumar Singh has also urged interstate travellers to act more responsibly upon their arrival in Jharkhand in a bid to keep Covid cases under control. Compliance to Covid protocols by commoners was the most important step in keeping Covid cases under check in the state, he added.