Amid a rise in cases of Omicron variant of COVID 19 in India, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday imposed night curfew from 11 pm to 5 am daily till further orders. Currently, the state has not reported any Omicron cases.
Read all the latest updates on COVID-19 here. “The apprehension also cannot be ruled out that #OmicronVariant cases may also come up in Madhya Pradesh. If we study the whole world and see their experiences, then this virus spreads very fast. One lakh cases of this are coming daily in England,” Chouhan said.
He urged people who have not taken vaccines to get vaccinated at the earliest. “If you have got the first vaccine, then definitely get the second one,” MP CM said.
Omicron: Centre asks states, UTs to ramp up vaccination, enforce containment measures This development comes after the Central government asked states to take prevention and containment measures such as night curfews, Covid safe behaviours and vaccination amid the COVID scare. Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh have also imposed night curfew.
The Centre has advised states to ensure strict regulation of large gatherings. “Any restriction must be enforced for a minimum of 14 days. As syndromes of Omicron variant closely mimic common cold with a higher rate of transmissibility and doubling time, the Health Ministry said. As Omicron cases in India breach 300-mark, PM Modi chairs COVID review meeting.
Omicron cases in India
According to the Health Ministry, 236 cases of Omicron has been reported in India. The maximum cases have been found in Maharashtra, followed by Delhi and Telangana. Of the total cases, 104 patients have recovered from the new strain.
On Tuesday, Health Minister had alerted states and Union Territories about Omicron and said that it is three times more transmissible than the Delta variant. It added that greater foresight, dynamic decision making and data analysis and strict and prompt containment action is needed at the local and district level.
Omicron threat in India: Cases of ‘highly transmissible’ COVID variant rise to 236