New Delhi: Even as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop flights from countries that have reported the newly detected Omicron strain of SARsCoV-19 — recently designated as a variant of concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO), Deputy CM Manish Sisodia insisted that all government departments had already been put on high alert.
CM Kejriwal wrote to PM Modi on Sunday saying, "We should do everything possible to prevent the new variant of concern, recognised by WHO, from entering India." Citing that several countries had banned flights from countries that have reported this train, including the European Union, the CM said, "I urge you to stop all flights from these regions with immediate effect. Any delay in this regard may prove harmful, if any affected person enters India."
Chief Minister Kejriwal said that the country had fought a tough battle with Covid so far and that it could come out
of this crisis with great difficulty and only because of the selfless service of millions of Covid warriors.
Meanwhile, insisting that all departments are prepared, the Deputy CM appealed to the people to avoid unnecessary gatherings.
Sisodia said that government departments, especially health, have been instructed to again enhance infrastructure and other necessary facilities to tackle any possible threat of the new variant.
"Fear, concern is necessary about the new variant of COVID-19. All government departments are on high alert. I appeal to people to not unnecessarily mingle and to take all precautions," he said in response to a question on the new variant on the sidelines of a press conference.
The deputy chief minister appealed to the public to exercise caution about COVID-19 and follow social distancing norms even as the government is keeping a vigil on any possible case of the new variant.
"We are all alert about the new variant. A DDMA meeting has been called (on Monday) on this. If even a single person carrying the new variant comes to Delhi, it will spread fast, so please do not mingle unnecessarily," Sisodia said.
The new variant of COVID-19, feared to have a high amount of spike mutations unseen before, has been detected in South Africa, with authorities there confirming 22 positive cases associated with it on Thursday.
The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), in its meeting on Monday, is likely to take a call on RT-PCR testing of passengers deboarding from international flights, and quarantining of passengers from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Hong Kong and other countries where the new coronavirus variant has been reported.
On Sunday, the city reported one more Covid death — the second death reported in two days along with 32 new cases. The daily positivity rate remained at 0.06 per cent.