Coronavirus India Live Updates: Union Home Secretary chairs urgent meeting in wake of new Covid variant ‘Omicron’

Union Home Secretary on Sunday chaired an urgent meeting in the wake of in wake of new Covid variant ‘Omicron’. This comes a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with top Health Ministry officials, where he was briefed on the new variant Omicron and its characteristics, its impact on other countries, and its implications for India.

Meanwhile, Union Health Secretary has written to states and union territories over the Omicron variant of Covid-19, asking them to enforce intensive containment and active surveillance measures and also increase coverage of vaccination.

Amid fears of the spread of ‘Omicron’ looming large, the Mumbai civic body has introduced new restrictions for international passengers arriving in the city and sounded “extreme vigilance” in the regard. According to the latest guidelines issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), international passengers traveling from or transiting through South Africa, Hong Kong, and Botswana — the three countries where Omicron has been detected – will have to undergo mandatory RT-PCR tests at the Mumbai Airport.