Gujarat Mandates RT-PCR Testing For Certain Nations Over New Variant Concerns

The Gujarat government today mandated RT-PCR testing for travellers landing at the airport from a host of countries, including South Africa, as growing concern over the new Covid variant Omicron takes over the globe.

Passengers arriving from Europe, UK, Brazil, South Africa, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand and Zimbabwe will be required to undergo the mandatory Covid testing, authorities said today.

Named by the World Health Organization as a "variant of concern", the new strain that was initially identified in South Africa has led to several countries, including US, UK and Canada, issuing travel bans against multiple southern African countries where the variant may be circulating.

Omicron -- reportedly detected in South Africa, Botswana, Hong Kong, Israel, and Belgium -- has been red flagged for a number of mutations that might make it more resistant to vaccines, increase transmissibility and lead to more severe symptoms.

Scientists have said that the new strain is likely much more infectious than the Delta variant and the "most heavily mutated" version of coronavirus discovered so far.

In light of the renewed Covid concern sweeping across the globe, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is chairing a meeting, attended by top officials, on the COVID-19 and vaccination situation in the country.