As reported by US News, India has begun random COVID-19 testing of international travelers arriving at its airports, the country’s health minister announced on Thursday, citing a rise in instances in neighboring China.
Mandaviya also encouraged state governments to improve surveillance for any new coronavirus variations and to transmit samples of all positive cases to genome sequencing institutes.
Mandaviya also urged the public to wear masks and keep social distance, despite the fact that neither is mandated by law.
India loosened its mask-wearing regulations earlier this year in response to a dramatic decline in coronavirus incidence. It has reported the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the globe since the pandemic began, but the number of confirmed infections has decreased dramatically over the previous few months.
According to data from the ministry of health, India has approximately 3,400 active coronavirus cases at now. Since China eased its rigorous controls earlier this month in response to rare public protests, the number of reported cases has increased dramatically.
Mandaviya stated that there are currently no intentions for the Indian government to restrict flights from nations where new cases have been recorded.
On Thursday, the Indian Medical Association appealed to the public to wear masks in all public areas and to receive vaccination boosters. It advised avoiding weddings, political and social gatherings, and international travel.
“Currently, the situation is not frightening. Therefore there is no reason to panic. “Prevention is preferable to treatment,” the statement read. India has provided more than 2.2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses. However, only 27% of the population has received a third booster dose.
