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'Avoid non-essential travel, mass gathering': Centre as 101 Omicron cases reported in India

Faced with the potential of a third wave of infections, the ministry emphasised the need to practise Covid-appropriate behaviour, such as wearing face masks and keeping social distance. The government also advised citizens to avoid unnecessary travel and to avoid huge groups and gatherings.

Centre as 101 cases reported in India says avoid non essential travel mass gathering gcw
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New Delhi, First Published Dec 17, 2021, 5:27 PM IST

The Omicron variant of the Coronavirus is "growing swiftly" in India, with 101 cases reported in 11 states, according to the Health Ministry, which also warned that 19 areas were at high risk of an increase in COVID-19 infections. Faced with the potential of a third wave of infections, the ministry emphasised the need to practise Covid-appropriate behaviour, such as wearing face masks and keeping social distance. The government also advised citizens to avoid unnecessary travel and to avoid huge groups and gatherings.

The ministry further said that based on the advancement of the strain in the UK (which now has over 11,000 Omicron cases), India might experience a staggering 14 lakh cases daily.
Ten new cases of Omicron were recorded in Delhi earlier in the day, prompting more cautions about the hazards of the virus. There are already 22 confirmed Omicron cases in the city.
The federal government has previously asked states to increase surveillance and prioritise sequencing positive samples in order to identify cases and possible hotspots. New travel regulations went into effect on December 1st, requiring foreign visitors from 'at risk' nations to submit to RT-PCR tests and, in some circumstances, obligatory quarantine.

According to Lav Agrawal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry, WHO has said that Omicron is spreading quicker than Delta in South Africa, where Delta circulation was low. Where communal transmission occurs, Omicron is likely to outperform Delta. According to Agarwal, there is no indication that immunizations are ineffective against the Omicron type of coronavirus.

Also Read | Omicron in India: Delhi reports 10 new cases, total tally crosses over 90

Concerning the Omicron danger, Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, Niti Aayog, stated that Europe is seeing a new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a sharp increase in cases.

Omicron was discovered in South Africa last month. Since then, it has been reported from 77 nations, including the United States, Israel, Hong Kong, and Japan, and the World Health Organization (WHO) believes the variation is "probably" present in the majority of them. Karnataka reported the first cases in India on December 2.

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