Kishori Pednekar, Mayor of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation in Mumbai, announced on Saturday that everyone coming to the city from South Africa will be tested and quarantined for the new coronavirus variant called Omicron, which was discovered in South Africa, Botswana, Hong Kong and Israel.
Some of the samples will also be sent for genome sequencing to check if passengers are carrying the new coronavirus variant.
“People are worried about the new variant of Covid. The people who are coming from South Africa are being quarantined and genome sequencing is done with thorough controls,” she said.
Kishori Pednekar added, “Christmas is just around the corner and many people from all over the world will come to their families in Maharashtra and Mumbai. The BMC takes all precautions. This variant has become a matter of concern in many countries and therefore we have to be prepared. “
She urged Mumbai citizens to continue to wear face masks, use disinfectants and maintain social distance.
There is currently no formal press release from either BMC or Mumbai Airport regarding quarantine rules for passengers arriving in Mumbai from South Africa.
PRECAUTIONS IN GUJARAT
Meanwhile, the Gujarat government has committed travelers arriving at the state’s airports from Europe, the UK, Brazil, South Africa, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong to RT-PCR Covid-19- To undergo tests.
NEW VARIANT
On Friday, the World Health Organization classified the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.529 as a “worrying variant”. The new coronavirus variant found in South Africa, Hong Kong, Israel and Botswana was Called an omicron.
The WHO classified the variant as a “highly transmissible virus of concern,” the same category that the predominant delta variant of the coronavirus belongs to. To contain this new threat from Covid-19, countries around the world have rurged to impose travel bans.
The real risks of Omicron are not yet understood. However, initial evidence suggests that it carries an increased risk of re-infection compared to other highly transmissible variants, the WHO said.
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