As Omicron spreads across India, govt lists steps to keep yourself safe

Omicron alert: The health ministry has also emphasised the continued usage of face masks, following social distancing and hand hygiene.

Amid a rising number of Omicron cases in India, the central government on Friday issued a slew of directions advising citizens on how to protect themselves and cut the spread of the highly infectious new variant of the SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus that is said to also be capable of undergoing frequent mutations. The Press Information Bureau (PIB), the nodal agency for media communications on behalf of the Government of India, shared the list of Omicron-related general advice at the behest of Balram Bhargava, the director-general of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

People exit from the arrival section of the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, India.  (Representational Image / REUTERS)

Omicron: Directions issued by Centre to cut the spread of the infectious new variant –

1. Non-essential travel must be averted.
2. Mass gatherings should also be avoided as these often turn into Covid-19 hotspots.
3. Festivities, particularly the upcoming Christmas and New Year's fete, should be observed in “low intensity”.
4. Those districts, which have reported more than five per cent test positivity rates, need to ensure restrictive measures until the rate falls below five per cent for at least two weeks.

“We still have about 24 districts such where the weekly test positivity rate is over five per cent,” said the secretary of the department of health research under the Union ministry of health and family welfare. "These districts need to ensure local restrictive measures till the weekly test positivity rate comes down to below five per cent for at least two weeks.”

The health ministry’s joint secretary Lav Agarwal also emphasised the usage of face masks, following social distancing and hand hygiene, echoing the WHO's advisory that vaccines alone won’t be enough in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

The number of Omicron cases in the country has now surpassed 100 in the country and these infections have been reported from 11 states and Union territories so far, the Union ministry of health and family welfare said on Friday.

The health ministry also highlighted that the number of Omicron cases was rising globally and as of Friday, the United Kingdom reported 11,708 infections followed by Denmark with 9,009 and Norway with 1,792 cases.