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| The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that Omicron poses a "high infection risk".Omicron is the most heavily mutated version of the coronavirus. (Photo by= Getty Images) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] Two men in the southern Indian state of Karnataka have tested positive for the Omicron coronavirus variant after returning from overseas. BBC said that the men, who are 66 years and 46 years old, are under observation, a government spokesperson said.
These are the first cases of the new Omicron variant to be reported in India. Officials said all primary contacts and secondary contacts of the two men have been traced and are being tested as well. Six samples from people who tested positive for Covid-19 in the national capital Delhi, and another six samples from the western state of Maharashtra, have all been sent for genome sequencing to determine the variant. Officials are still awaiting results. Several other cities and states are following suit.
Starting Wednesday, India announced new travel restrictions for international passengers arriving from "at-risk" countries a list that includes the UK, South Africa, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Israel. They will be tested on arrival and cannot leave the airport without their test results. Different Indian states have announced different policies for travellers, all passengers flying into Maharashtra from "at-risk" countries will have to spend seven days in institutional quarantine. Delhi and Karnataka have said all international passengers will have to undergo PCR tests on arrival.
