On the discovery of the new strain of coronavirus in the UK, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said the central government is on alert and there was no need to panic.
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Monday that the central government is on alert about the new coronavirus strain in the United Kingdom. Harsh Vardhan also asserted that there was no need to panic on the discovery of the new strain of coronavirus in the UK.
Addressing a virtual press conference, Harsh Vardhan said, “The central government is alert. In the past year, as you all have seen, we took all the necessary measures to ensure the safety of people. We are aware of what all needs to be done. If you ask me, there’s no reason to panic.”
Meanwhile, the health ministry’s Joint Monitoring Group met on Monday to discuss the emergence of the mutated variant of the coronavirus. The new strain of coronavirus is reportedly up to 70 per cent more infectious.
As more countries barred travel from the UK, with others considering similar action in a bid to block a new strain of coronavirus sweeping across southern England, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal sounded a warning note against it and urged the Centre to suspend all travel from the country.
While no travel ban has been announced in India, the central government has said the government is on alert and there was no need to panic.
So far, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Ireland, Bulgaria and Canada have announced restrictions on UK travel due to the new variant of the coronavirus which has resulted in a surge of cases across the UK.
The travel ban was announced hours after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that Christmas shopping and gatherings in southern England must be canceled because of rapidly spreading infections.
Johnson said Saturday that a fast-moving new variant of the virus that is 70% more transmissible than existing strains appeared to be driving the rapid spread of new infections in London and southern England in recent weeks. But he stressed “there’s no evidence to suggest it is more lethal or causes more severe illness,” or that vaccines will be less effective against it.
On Sunday, British Health Secretary Matt Hancock added to the alarm when he said “the new variant is out of control.” The U.K. recorded 35,928 further confirmed cases, around double the number from a week ago.
