-Ve RT-PCR report mandatory for passengers arriving from China, other places from next week: Sources
New Delhi, Dec 28: The government is likely to make it mandatory for passengers arriving from China and five other places to have negative RT-PCR reports from next week, official sources said on Wednesday. They also cautioned that the next 40 days will be crucial as India may see a Covid surge in January.
Even if there is a wave, deaths and hospitalisation will be very low, the Health Ministry sources said.
"Previously, it has been noticed that a new wave of COVID-19 hits India around 30-35 days after it hits East Asia.... This has been a trend," an official said.
As Covid gets back on the radar with a surge in China and people worry about another wave in India, some scientists have called for a reality check.
The situation in India where a large number of people have been exposed to the virus and also been vaccinated is quite different from that in China. The likelihood of a new big COVID-19 wave in India is very low, an expert said.
As the government tightens COVID-19-related guidelines, the sources said filling up of 'air suvidha' forms and 72-hour prior RT-PCR testing may be made mandatory from next week for international passengers coming from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore.
The sources said 39 international passengers were found positive for COVID-19 out of the 6,000 tested on arrival in the last two days.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will visit the airport in Delhi on Thursday to take stock of testing and screening facilities there, they said.
The proposed tightening of Covid guidelines and warning of a fresh surge come days after Health Minister Mandaviya asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to consider suspending the Bharat Jodo Yatra if COVID-19 protocols could not be followed.
The yatra, currently on winter break, will resume on January 3.
The government has already sounded an alert and asked states and Union territories to prepare for any eventuality.
Following the surge, the government made random coronavirus testing mandatory for two per cent of passengers arriving in each international flight from Saturday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Health Minister Mandaviya have held meetings to assess the country's preparedness to deal with a fresh surge in cases.
Mock drills were held at health facilities across India on Tuesday to check operational readiness to deal with any spurt in COVID-19 infection, with Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya saying the country has to remain alert and prepared as cases are rising in the world.
The latest spike in cases is being driven by Omicron sub-variant BF.7.
The official sources said the transmissibility of this BF.7 sub-variant is very high. A person infected with the sub-variant can further infect 16 persons.
Anurag Agrawal, director of the CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (IGIB) said the likelihood of a new big COVID-19 wave in India is very low.
"No quick steps are required right now beyond what is already done," Agrawal told PTI.
Satyajit Rath, adjunct faculty at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune, said, "There is no reason to expect that the Chinese situation, which is specifically shaped by the zero-Covid policies that the country implemented for almost three years, will predict anything in India," said Satyajit Rath, adjunct faculty at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune.
China has been witnessing thousands of cases daily in the last few weeks. On Wednesday, India logged 188 new coronavirus infections with a daily positivity rate of 0.14 per cent and the weekly positivity rate recorded at 0.18 per cent, the Union Health Ministry said.
"The Indian situation, with widespread actual infection in addition to vaccination, is quite different. And the Covid virus is after all spreading and therefore mutating in communities worldwide, not just in China, so new variants are emerging everywhere," Rath told PTI.
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Top Mumbai school 'discontinues' services of principal over her social media activities
Mumbai (PTI): The management of a leading school in Mumbai on Tuesday announced it has "discontinued" the services of principal Parveen Shaikh "to ensure that our ethos of unity and inclusivity is not compromised", days after she was asked to quit reportedly for liking social media posts on the Palestine issue and the Hamas-Israel conflict.
Shaikh, the principal of Somaiya School in Mumbai's Vidyavihar area, described her "termination" from the post as "completely illegal, drastic and unwarranted" and expressed shock over the "politically motivated" action. The school management said her personal social media activities were not aligned with the values cherished by the educational institute. Shaikh was earlier allegedly asked by the management to resign over her social media views, her aide had said on May 2. The management had then said it was probing the matter.
In a statement shared on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, the Somaiya school management said Shaikh's personal social media activities were "starkly misaligned with the values we cherish" and hence "given the gravity of concerns" and "after careful consideration", it discontinued her (services). "After careful consideration, the management has discontinued Ms Parveen Shaikh's association with Somaiya Vidyavihar to ensure that our ethos of unity and inclusivity is not compromised," the statement said.
The school management, in the statement, claimed it strives to cultivate an environment where knowledge leads to wisdom and "uplifts all members of the community, transcending small-mindedness and personal biases". "We strongly support the right to freedom of expression, yet we recognize that it is not absolute and must be exercised with responsibility and respect for others," it said.
The statement emphasised the institute remains dedicated to providing a nurturing educational environment that honours and respects all cultures and beliefs, contributing positively to society and our nation. "We believe it is crucial to safeguard the impressionable minds of our youth, and ensure they are nurtured in an environment that upholds the highest standards of integrity and inclusivity," it said.
Earlier last week, the Somaiya school management informed the media that it had sought a written clarification from Shaikh and was waiting for her reply. The statement did not specify if the management received any clarification from her. Shaikh, in a statement shared on WhatsApp, claimed her "termination" was "completely illegal" and she was "shocked to know" the news of her termination from social media even before receiving a notice from the management. "My work as a school principal has been exceptional and my termination for such a reason is wrongful and unjust," she claimed.
Shaikh further said she was "disappointed" as the school management "chose not to stand" by her and took "drastic and unwarranted action". "This action appears to be politically motivated. I hold firm belief in our legal system and the Indian Constitution and I am currently considering my legal options," she said.
Shaikh had been associated with the school since the last 12 years and took charge as the principal seven years ago.
