Fresh rules for international travelers in view of Omicron variant come into effect from Dec-1. Testing at airports across India is mandatory for travelers coming from "at-risk" nations while those arriving from other nations will undergo random testing. newsbytesapp.com/news/india/ind…
India is set to resume regular international flight operations from Dec-15. The new rules are crucial for international passengers arriving in India & may affect travel plans for many. Even though India has not reported any Omicron variant case as yet, officials are concerned.
All international arrivals in India need to fill a self-declaration form & submit a negative RT-PCR report. Those arriving from "at-risk" nations must give their samples for testing. If found positive, they will be quarantined & the samples will be sent for genome sequencing.
State officials will physically visit homes of quarantined individuals to ensure compliance. Countries that have been labeled "at-risk" include Brazil, Botswana, China, Hong Kong, Israel, Mauritius, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, the UK, Zimbabwe, & all European nations.
International passengers may have to wait for up to six hours at the Delhi airport for their COVID-19 test results, NDTV reported. The company handling testing for that airport can process up to 500 tests per hour and efforts are underway to enhance capacity. #Omnicron
Omicron—whose scientific name is B.1.1.529—has some 50 mutations including more than 30 in its key spike protein alone. The strain may be more transmissible, but, more studies are required. Symptoms in people carrying the variant in South Africa were said to be "mild."
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A top South African doctor, who was the first to raise alarm over Omicron, says the new coronavirus strain causes mild symptoms. Dr. Angelique Coetzee stated the variant spreads fast but acknowledged it is still early to draw clear conclusions. #Omicron newsbytesapp.com/news/world/cov…
Dr. Coetzee's assessment of the strain indicates that while Omicron may be more transmissible, it causes a milder disease than variants like Delta. If detailed studies corroborate the findings, it could be good news since the COVID-19 pandemic may be becoming endemic.
The most common symptoms among Omicron patients are fatigue, body aches and pains, malaise, and headache, Dr. Coetzee told a media portal. However, unlike the Delta variant, Omicron does not lead to a loss of smell or taste, a severely blocked nose, or high fever, she said.
Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said today all city schools will be closed from Friday until further orders due to air pollution. Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court had criticized governments in Delhi & at the Centre over deteriorating air quality. newsbytesapp.com/news/india/del…
Talking of the decision, Rai said, “We had reopened schools considering the forecast that air quality would improve. However, the air pollution levels have increased again and we have decided to shut schools from Friday till further orders.” #DelhiPollution
This move came after the SC heard a plea over rising air pollutants in the city, four weeks straight. The top court underlined how children as young as three years old were attending school while adults worked from home.
The Delhi government on Wednesday decided to slash Value-Added Tax (VAT) on petrol from 30% to 19.4%. Petrol prices will be cut by Rs. 8 per liter in the national capital city as a result of the tax reduction. Check out the new rates, here. #PetrolPrice newsbytesapp.com/news/india/del…
The new prices will come into effect from Wednesday midnight. Reduction in petrol prices will come as a big relief for residents in Delhi. Rates of auto fuels like petrol and diesel have touched record highs in recent months in all metro cities across the country.
The announcement comes after a Cabinet meeting chaired by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal earlier in the day. Petrol price in Delhi is expected to dip to around Rs. 95 per liter from Rs. 103.97 per liter currently. Meanwhile, diesel rate in the city stands at Rs. 86.67 per liter.
Francisca Susano, the Filipino woman who was thought to be the oldest person in the world, died at the age of 124 recently. Fondly referred to as Lola Iska, Susano was also believed to be the world's last surviving person born in the 19th century. newsbytesapp.com/news/world/wor…
The news was first reported by the social media handle of the Kabankalan city government. While the cause of death was not mentioned, she was going to be tested for the novel coronavirus.
Considered to be the oldest living Filipino, Susano's claim to be the world's oldest woman & person is yet to be verified by. In Sep-2021, when Susano celebrated her 124th birthday, Guinness World Records was still cross-checking the documents that prove her age.
A new variant of the coronavirus has been found in South Africa and several other countries. Scientists say the heavily-mutated strain seems to be spreading quickly and may possibly evade prior immunity. Here are more details. #Covid newsbytesapp.com/news/world/new…
Currently known as B.1.1.529 the new strain is the most heavily mutated version of the coronavirus. This raises serious concerns that the variant may trigger wider & severe outbreaks in South Africa or elsewhere. Experts say there are signs that it spreads fast & evades immunity.
The B1.1.529 variant was first identified in Botswana. However, South Africa has so far reported the most number of cases at 22, according to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD). NICD said the cases are "increasing quickly" in three South African provinces.
PM Narendra Modi today laid the foundation stone of Noida International Airport in UP's Jewar. The event is being attended by over 2.5L people & a massive tent covering an area of over 12 lakh square feet has been constructed. #NoidaInternationalAirport newsbytesapp.com/news/india/mod…
The Noida International Airport will be UP's fifth international airport as well as Asia's largest airport. The airport is a key infrastructure project undertaken by the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government in UP, which is gearing up for the Assembly elections next year.
The govt is projecting it as a "gamechanger" for the state, which would become the "logistics gateway of northern India." Meticulous preparations were made for the ceremony. Apart from the massive tent, a lounge for Modi, a helipad & asphalt roads to the venue were also set up.