Coronavirus (Covid-19) India December 1 Live News: As Omicron scare grips the world, new guidelines for international travellers come into force

The single-day rise in fresh Coronavirus infections in Indian has remained below 20,000 for the past 53 days.

Coronavirus Variants and Vaccinations, Coronavirus Active Cases in India Today’s News, December 1 Live Updates: The emergence of new Coronavirus variant Omicron, which is rapidly spreading – detected in more than 11 countries so far — has triggered fear among people, raising concern over the return to normalcy, recovery of the economy, etc. The WHO has called it a “variant of concern”. “Preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant,” as compared to other variants, the WHO said. Many countries have already reimposed several travel restrictions in order to check the spread of this new strain.

In India too, though there hasn’t been any report of Omicron cases so far, several states/UTs, including Delhi and Chhattisgarh have urged the Centre to ban international travel. Amid the Omicron scare, the Union Health Ministry has issued revised guidelines for international travellers. According to the new guidelines, all travellers, irrespective of Covid-19 vaccination status, coming to India from countries identified as ‘countries at-risk’ would have to mandatorily undergo post-arrival Covid-19 testing at the airport on arrival. This would be in addition to the pre-departure Covid-19 testing undertaken 72 hours before the departure. Passengers found positive will be isolated and treated as per the clinical management protocol; their samples also be taken for whole genome sequencing. The new guideline will come into effect on December 1, 2021.

Meanwhile, the single-day rise in fresh Coronavirus infections has remained below 20,000 for the past 53 days. The Covid-19 situation is under control in the country. However, the new strain Omicron might trigger another wave in India if not checked. The Union government has already directed states/UTs to ramp up Covid testing and scale-up vaccination. It has also extended Covid-19 containment measures to December 31 to check the spread of the virus.

Financial Express Online brings you the latest updates on the coronavirus pandemic.