Here are the latest updates on the new coronavirus variant:

  1. Night curfew will be imposed in Delhi from 11 pm to 5 am from Monday, NDTV reported citing government officials. The decision was taken after the national Capital reported 290 fresh cases of Covid-19 – a 16% jump from Friday. One death due to coronavirus was reported in the last 24 hours.
  2. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha and Telangana on Sunday reported more cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus. Andhra Pradesh detected two cases of the new strain in Anantapuram and Prakasam districts, reported Deccan Chronicle. Both the patients had arrived from foreign countries. With this, the state’s tally of Omicron cases stands at six. Karnataka, on the other hand, now has 38 cases of the new variant as the state confirmed seven fresh infections. Odisha’s tally of Omicron cases rose to six after four more patients were tested positive. Director of Health Services Bijay Mohapatra told PTI the two of the new patients had returned from Nigeria and the other two had come from the United Arab Emirates. Telangana registered three more Omicron cases, taking the total number of cases of the new variant in the state to 41. Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh on Sunday reported their first cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
  3. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said self-discipline and self-awareness were the country’s strengths in fighting against the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. In his Mann ki Baat radio address, Modi noted that scientists are studying the Omicron variant and getting new data every day. He added that people’s collective strength will defeat the coronavirus. “...With this very sense of responsibility we have to enter into 2022,” he said.    
  4. The Karnataka government will impose a night curfew for ten days starting from December 28 to control the spread of Covid-19, state Health Minister K Sudhakar said. The night curfew, which will be imposed under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, will be in place from 10 pm to 5 am.    
  5. The Telangana government has banned rallies and public gatherings in the state till January 2, reported The News Minute. However, New Year’s celebrations have been allowed in the state.    
  6. Foreign passengers visiting Tamil Nadu from “at risk” countries will have to undergo a mandatory seven-day quarantine, state Health Minister Ma Subramanian has announced, reported India Today. After completing the quarantine period, they will have to undergo a mandatory RT-PCR test on the eighth day. The minister added that the sample for random testing of passengers from ‘at-risk’ countries will be increased to 10% from 2%.
  7. France on Saturday registered a record high of 1,04,611 Covid-19 cases, Reuters reported. This is the first time since the pandemic broke out in December 2019 that the country has logged over 1 lakh infections in a day.    
  8. Kenya will soon start administering booster shots to individuals six months after their second jab, Reuters reported citing a health ministry document.    
  9. China has reported a sudden spike in coronavirus cases, registering 206 fresh infections in a day, reported PTI. Of these, 158 were local ones. The National Health Commission said 157 of the domestic cases were reported in Shaanxi province and one in Guangxi.    
  10. Dr Sanjay K Rai, an epidemiologist at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and the principal investigator of Covaxin trials for adults and children, on Sunday said the Centre’s decision to vaccinate children was “unscientific”. He added that data from countries that are vaccinating children should have been analysed before implementing the decision.