New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a two-hour meeting with senior officials to discuss developments regarding the new variant of Covid-19 Omicron detected in South Africa. The prime minister called on officials to be proactive and stressed the precautions needed to curb the spread of the virus.
The meeting began with a briefing given to the Prime Minister on the latest developments in the African region where the new variant was detected. It was then followed by an overview of the situation in India as well as the vaccination status.
“The Prime Minister stressed the need to monitor all international arrivals, their testing in accordance with guidelines, with particular emphasis on countries identified ‘at risk’. The prime minister also called on officials to review plans to ease restrictions on international travel in light of new emerging evidence, ”the statement from the prime minister’s office said.
He also called on officials to work closely with state governments to ensure awareness at all levels. “He has ordered that intensive containment and active surveillance continue in clusters reporting higher cases,” the PMO said.
The new Omicron variant was first identified in South Africa on Thursday and was classified as a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization on Friday.
The cases have been detected in South Africa, Israel, Botswana, Hong Kong, and Belgium so far. As a result, several countries have imposed travel restrictions on travelers from African countries.
India has also added the names of some South African countries to the list from which travelers will need to take further action. “Department of Health and Family Welfare adds Hong Kong and Israel to list of countries from which travelers should undergo additional measures upon arrival in India, including post-arrival testing given the detection of the new COVID variant ‘Omicron’ in South Africa, ”the PMO said.
So far, the additional measures are applicable for travelers from South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Israel, Hong Kong, European countries including the United Kingdom.
Omicron is a variant of concern because it has multiple mutations and is likely to be more transmissible. More data is expected on the new variant to measure its impact on the efficacy of the vaccine.
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