In the wake of increasing cases of the Omicron Covid variant in Maharashtra, state Cabinet Minister Aaditya Thackeray urged people to strictly follow virus guidelines, and get vaccinated. He said the state task force would hold a meeting later today with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to discuss Covid-19 curbs amid Omicron concerns.
“The number of patients of the Omicron variant is increasing. We are testing in large numbers not just at airports, entry points, but within cities. Every week, corporate offices should do RT-PCR tests,” Aaditya said. The Minister said the goverment would observe the situation for the next two to three days, with respect to adding more restrictions in place.
The total number of confirmed Omicron cases in Maharashtra has gone up to eight now.
Aaditya said that those who had not received their Covid-19 vaccines should get inoculated on priority. He added that there was “no need to panic, but concerns remain when it is about health.”
On restrictions on international flights, Aaditya said the state government had tightened its rules and put additional curbs in place, which would be reviewed from time to time.
He said self-monitoring was important amid large number of people constantly migrating, when it came to curbs on road and train travel.
India reported 17 more cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 on Sunday – nine persons in Rajasthan capital Jaipur, seven in Maharashtra’s Pune district and a fully vaccinated man who arrived in Delhi from Tanzania – taking the tally to 21 in the country. Most of those who tested positive either recently arrived from African countries or were in contact with such people. With this, four states and the national capital have now reported cases of the potentially more contagious variant which has sparked a fresh alert across the world.
Maharashtra has placed curbs on its international travel. According to an order, passengers shall be declared as high-risk if they are arriving from high-risk countries namely South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe, and if they have visited any of these nations in the past 15 days before their arrival in Maharashtra.
Such passengers shall have to undergo RT-PCR test immediately on arrival at the respective International airport and shall undergo mandatory 7-day ‘Institutional Quarantine’ with second RT-PCR test to be carried out on the seventh day, the order mandates.
If any of the tests is found to be positive, then the passenger will be shifted to the hospital. In case, on the seventh day the RT-PCR test comes negative, such high-risk passengers will have to undergo a further 7 days of home quarantine.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said there is need to take a decision at the national level on whether a booster dose of the vaccine is required to curb the pandemic. He said information available showed that those who had taken both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine had also got infected with the Omicron variant.
“Is booster dose required then? We have doses available today. There is a need to take a decision at the national level in this regard I think. There are different opinions about it. So, it should be told why it needs to be given or why it shouldn’t. Only experts who have researched it (the infection) can talk about it,” Pawar said. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and the state administration are keeping a close tab on the current situation, the senior NCP leader said.
“The Centre too should take a strict position on patients coming from abroad in various states. It must be ensured rules are observed strictly at our international airports, he added.
With PTI inputs.
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