According to senior government authorities, no cases of the novel Omicron form of coronavirus have been discovered in India. They further said that two clusters are being looked into, one in Maharashtra and the other in Karnataka.
The explanation comes a day after a man in Dombivli, Maharashtra’s Thane district, tested positive for Covid-19. On November 24, he flew from Cape Town to Dombivli.
The man’s samples were sent to be genotyped to see if he was infected with the Omicron strain.
Meanwhile, Karnataka has ordered precautionary measures in the Kerala bordering districts of Dakshina Kannada, Madikeri, Chamarajanagar, and Mysuru. Covid is quite common among those who come from Kerala, according to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. The state administration has also asked the federal government to put a ban on travellers from South Africa, Hong Kong, and Botswana.
The variation first appeared in southern Africa earlier this month, and the World Health Organization has designated it as a variant of concern (WHO). It has spread to 15 nations so far.
In the aftermath of the new strain, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked people to exercise cautious. He was speaking to the press ahead of the start of Parliament’s winter session.
India has stated that overseas travellers will be subjected to severe scrutiny, particularly those travelling from countries classified as “at danger” by the government.
Japan on Monday joined the growing list of countries which have announce ban on travel to southern African countries. “We are banning the entry of foreigners from all countries starting November 30,” Sputnik reported quoting Kishida as saying today.
Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands have already stopped flights from southern Africa.
The Omicron variant contains at least 30 mutations, more than any other previous strain. It is also believed to be resistant to vaccines, though scientists have sought more studies.
