Following the discovery of India’s first case of the new XE coronavirus in Mumbai, Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar stated that the state is considering imposing new measures for international visitors entering the state.
According to the minister, who spoke after meeting with the COVID-19 Technical Advisory Committee on Monday, April 11, these rules will apply to visitors from eight countries, including China, Hong Kong, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and Germany, where the number of cases caused by the XE variant are on the rise. The TAC has advised airports to take similar precautions.
According to Sudhakar, the committee has recommended rules for travellers from specific countries, such as thermal screening, intensive surveillance, and enforced quarantine for 7-10 days. “The government will issue rules on this soon,” he said, advising people to continue using COVID-19 prevention measures such as masks.
He also advised people who had not yet received the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to do so as soon as possible. Some have previously blamed the government for the COVID-19 outbreak and vaccine shortage. We have sent out multiple requests for people to receive the vaccine now that there is a sufficient supply. He went on to suggest that people get immunised and collaborate with the government.
A 67-year-old man from Mumbai who travelled to Vadodara in Gujarat in March was found to be infected with the XE strain, though the Union government has not formally recognised it. “ The man arrived from London on March 6 and was met by two British nationals. On March 11th, he developed a minor fever. On March 12, he was examined in Vadodara, and the sample was transferred to the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre for genome sequencing,” according to Maharashtra’s health minister, the individual tested positive for the variant the next day.
“The man has been quarantined at his Mumbai residence since March 20.” He has no symptoms. He had received two doses of the anti-COVID-19 vaccine,” said Minister Rajesh Tope. He went on to say that the new version is “not fatal” and that there is no cause for concern.
