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Arvind Kejriwal | PM Modi
Image credit: Press Information Bureau

'Urge PM Modi to stop flights from countries hit by new COVID variant': Arvind Kejriwal

| @indiablooms | Nov 27, 2021, at 06:14 pm

New Delhi/IBNS: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday morning urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop all flights from those countries where cases of the new variant of COVID-19, named as Omicron, have been detected.

"I urge Honourable PM to stop flights from those countries which are affected by new variant. With great difficulty, our country has recovered from Corona. We should do everything possible to prevent this new variant from entering India," Kejriwal tweeted Saturday morning.

The Delhi CM tweeted to inform that he had called for a meeting of medical and scientific experts on Monday in light of "the threat from (the) new Covid variant from African countries".

These experts, he said, would make a presentation to the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA).

They would suggest steps to protect the national capital from the B.1.1.529 strain, the Delhi CM.

"In view of the threat from (the) new COVID-19 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.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is chairing a meeting with top officials this morning to review the Covid situation.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the recently-detected B.1.1.529 strain of COVID-19 as a variant of concern and named it as Omicron.

The variant was first detected in southern Africa, which has led to a surge in infections in South Africa and other countries in the southern part of the continent.

It has also been detected in Botswana, Hong Kong, Israel and Belgium.

On Thursday,  India had called for rigorous screening and testing of travellers coming from South Africa, Hong Kong and Botswana where a new variant of COVID-19 has been found with multiple mutations.

In a letter to states and union territories, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan asked them to ensure that samples such travellers turning positive are sent to designated genome sequencing laboratories promptly.

Amid scare over the spread of the mutant form, United States and Australia have issued official orders restricting travel from South Africa amid the growing concerns of the new Covid-19 Omicron variant.

The French government on Friday announced to immediately suspend flights coming from the southern parts of Africa following the detection of a new Covid-19 variant in South Africa.

Besides, the United Kingdom, Singapore and Israel have also stopped flights from South Africa, Botswana and four other African nations.
 

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