New Delhi: Amid growing global concern over the spread of 'Omicron' - the new and potentially most infectious COVID-19 variant discovered so far - Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asked officials to review plans to ease restrictions on international travel to and from India.
Briefed on developments concerning the new variant, the Prime Minister highlighted the need to monitor all international arrivals, and conduct Covid tests with a specific focus on those arriving from countries designated as 'at risk' by the Union Health Ministry.
The Prime Minister also stressed the need to continue following Covid safety protocols, including wearing face masks in public, washing hands regularly, and maintaining social distance.
Prime Minister Modi today chaired a meeting of senior officials, including the Cabinet Secretary, the Health Secretary, and the chief of India's Covid task force, to review the situation in the country.
The meeting was held a day after the Civil Aviation Ministry said scheduled international passenger flights could return to pre-Covid frequencies from December 15, with certain exceptions.
Countries listed as 'at risk' by the Health Ministry will continue to have restrictions on the number of weekly flights, based on existing 'air bubble' deals (or lack thereof) with India.
South Africa, Botswana, Israel, and Hong Kong are on the list of 'at risk' countries with 'air bubble' deals in place, meaning 75 per cent of scheduled passenger flights will be allowed till further notice.
The new variant was first detected in South Africa earlier this week, with several cases rapidly reported in neighbouring Botswana, as well as Israel and Hong Kong.
27/11/21 Akhilesh Sharma/NDTV
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