Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday directed a review of plans to ease international travel restrictions in light of the emerging new COVID-19 virus variant B.1.1.529 (Omicron) found in South Africa that has been designated as a ‘Variant of Concern’ by the World Health Organization (WHO).In a two-hour-long meeting with senior Central Government officials, Mr. Modi highlighted the need for monitoring all international arrivals and testing as per guidelines, with a specific focus on countries identified ‘at risk’.
He directed that genome sequencing samples be collected from international travellers and community as per norms, tested through the network of labs already established under INSACOG, and early warning signals identified for COVID-19 management. He spoke about the need to increase the sequencing efforts and make it more broad-based.Central Government officials have been instructed to coordinate with States to ensure that there are adequate buffer stocks of various medicines and work with them to review the functioning of medical infrastructure, including paediatric facilities.
