Kejriwal urges PM to ban flights from nations affected by new Omicron variant

The health ministry on Thursday directed all states and union territories to strictly screen and test international travellers from Botswana, South Africa, and Hong Kong which are among the countries where the new variant was detected

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday urged the Central government to suspend incoming flights from the countries affected by the new coronavirus variant, the B.1.1.529, named Omicron by the World Health Organization.

Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) will meet on Monday to discuss how to deal with the threat presented by the new coronavirus variant, first detected in South Africa. (PTI Photo)

“I urge Hon’ble PM to stop flights from those countries which are affected by [the] new variant. With great difficulty, our country has recovered from Corona. We should do everything possible to prevent this new variant from entering India,” the chief minister tweeted.

Delhi government has also called a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) on Monday to discuss how to deal with the threat presented by the new coronavirus variant, first detected in South Africa.

“In view of the threat from the new Covid variant from African countries, we have requested experts to make a presentation to DDMA on Monday and suggest what steps we should take. We will take all steps necessary to protect you and your family,” the chief minister tweeted on Friday.

Scientists are still in the process to determine whether the new variant, also known as the B.1.1.529, is more transmissible or lethal than the previous ones, but it is found to have the most mutations of any strain yet identified. The WHO on Friday classified it as a “variant of concern”, and renamed it Omicron.

The WHO said early evidence suggested an increased reinfection risk from the variant which was first reported to the organisation from South Africa on November 24 and was from a specimen collected on November 9.

The health ministry on Thursday directed all states and union territories to strictly screen and test international travellers from Botswana, South Africa, and Hong Kong which are among the countries where the new variant was detected. States were asked to send samples of international travellers found positive for genome sequencing. WHO has urged countries not to panic and cautioned against “hasty measures”, even as a slew of nations across the world reacted with alarm to the news.

Several nations, particularly those in Europe, started banning flights from South Africa and neighbouring nations. Travellers from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini will not be able to enter the UK unless they are UK or Irish nationals, or UK residents, BBC news reported. The US too has decided to block flights from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.