In view of the possible threat that the new COVID-19 variant can pose to the nation, the Centre has asked all states and UTs to focus on intensive containment, active surveillance, enhanced testing, monitoring of hotspots, increased coverage of vaccination and augmentation of health infrastructure. The situation has also forced the government to rethink its decision on resuming scheduled international flights from December 15.

Listing a series of measures that states and UTs should undertake, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan also stressed rigorous surveillance of international passengers, ensuring prompt dispatch of samples for genome sequencing and strict enforcement of COVID-appropriate behaviour to effectively manage this Variant of Concern (VoC).