RNS: States and Union Territories have been advised by the central government to be more attentive in enforcing public health measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has written to Additional Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary of all States and UTs in this regard. He said, International passengers are arriving from both At-Risk and other countries to different States and Union Territories.
All State Surveillance Officers have been provided an access to Air Suvidha portal of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, he said.
Bhushan asked the states to access the portal every day to know in advance the details of passengers coming in their respective State from different international airports.
Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya has said that several precautionary measures have been taken to tackle the challenge of the new Coronavirus variant, ‘Omicron.’
Two cases of infections due to the Omicron strain have been detected in Bengaluru, including one traveller from South Africa and another from the city, he said in discussion in the Lok Sabha.
Contact tracing has been done in both the cases and the COVID status of all the contacts has been ascertained. The genome sequencing of the viral samples drawn from those who tested positive among them is underway, the minister said.
He said, the new strain has been detected in 25 different countries as of 25 November. Now, each and every district in the country will have a facility with at least 50 beds to treat the pandemic disease among other illnesses with modern diagnostic facilities capable of doing 115 kinds of tests, he said.
