Omicron threat: 11 countries placed in ‘at-risk’ category, Jyotiraditya Scindia informs Lok Sabha

Jyotiraditya Scindia

Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia informed the Parliament on December 2 that 11 countries have been put in ‘at-risk’ category due to the spread of Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

These 11 countries include United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Israel.

While speaking in Lok Sabha about the COVID situation amidst Omicron variant's growing threat, Scindia said there will be RT-PCR tests for international passengers from ‘at-risk’ nations.

"It has been our effort over last 6 months to slowly increase flights, internationally as well...Omicron is a setback as all countries across the world need to be safe. Our govt has categorised 11 countries as 'at risk'," news agency ANI quoted him as saying.

“At present we have air bubble agreement with 31 countries and have a proposal with 10 other nations to start air bubble agreement”, he said in response to a question regarding the current situation of air bubbles during COVID-19," he added.

Earlier in the day, the health ministry announced that it detected country's first two cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus. Both the infections were reported from Karnataka, with the patients being identified as 66-year-old and 46-year-old males.

The two cases in Karnataka, Dr Bhargava further said, were detected "through genome sequencing effort of INSACOG consortium of 37 laboratories established by the Ministry of Health".

Last week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had chaired a high-level meeting and directed officials to review plans for easing of international travel restrictions amid rising concerns over new COVID variant.