Singapore rejects Kejriwal's tweet on very dangerous' COVID-19 strain in the country
Singapore: Singapore on Tuesday dismissed media reports quoting Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal that a very dangerous" strain of the coronavirus was prevalent in the city state, saying there is no truth whatsoever in such assertions.
Taking to Twitter, Kejriwal said the new strain of coronavirus could invade India in the form of a third wave.
"The new form of coronavirus in Singapore is said to be very dangerous for children. It could reach Delhi in the form of a third wave. My appeal to the Central government: 1. Cancel all air services with Singapore with immediate effect 2. Work on vaccine alternatives for children on a priority basis," the Delhi chief minister said in a tweet in Hindi on Tuesday.
Responding to Kejriwal's tweet, Singapore's health ministry said: There is no truth whatsoever in the assertions found within the reports
There is no Singapore variant. The strain that is prevalent in many of the COVID-19 cases in recent weeks is the B.1.617.2 variant, which originated in India. Phylogenetic testing has shown this B.1.617.2 variant to be associated with several clusters in Singapore, it said in a statement.
Responding to the chief minister's appeal, India's Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said only a few flights are being operated between the two countries under the government's Vande Bharat Mission to bring stranded Indians back, and added that "all precautions are being taken".
While there is no known Singapore strain of the coronavirus or any known to have originated in the city-state, Kejriwal appeared to be referring to a media report on Monday.
The report had mentioned the threat posed to Singapore's children by the variant first detected in India.
Reacting to the media report, Dr V K Paul, member (health), NITI Aayog, told a briefing on Tuesday, "We are examining it".
Aviation Minister Puri replied to the Delhi CM's tweet, saying, "Kejriwal ji, all international flights have been stopped since March 2020. We have no air bubble with Singapore either."
Only a few flights are being operated between the two countries under Vande Bharat Mission to bring back Indians stuck there, he added.
"We are still keeping an eye on the situation. All precautions are being taken," Puri noted.
Earlier this month, the chief minister had said Delhi should prepare for the third wave of COVID-19.
The national capital on Tuesday reported 4,482 Covid-19 cases, the lowest single-day rise since April 5, and 265 fatalities, while the positivity rate dipped to 6.89 per cent.
Delhi had reported 4,524 cases and 340 fatalities on Monday, while the positivity rate was 8.42 per cent.
There is no truth in the assertion that there is a new COVID strain in Singapore. Phylogenetic testing has shown that the B.1.617.2 variant is the prevalent strain in many of the COVID cases, including in children, in recent weeks in Singapore.https://t.co/uz0mNPNxlE https://t.co/Vyj7gyyzvJ
— Singapore in India (@SGinIndia) May 18, 2021
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Rahul meets Youth Cong workers arrested for 'shirtless protest' at AI meet, calls them 'babbar sher'
New Delhi (PTI): Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday met the Indian Youth Congress members who were arrested for a "shirtless" protest during the AI Impact Summit here in February and said he is proud of the courage and patriotism of these "lions".
This was Gandhi's first joint meeting with all the Youth Congress members who were arrested following the protest. The leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha shared photographs of the meeting held at the Congress headquarters here on his Instagram page.
"Today, I met with my fellow 'babbar sher (lion)' members of the Youth Congress who had been arrested for their peaceful protest. Peaceful protest is a constitutional right of every citizen. And it becomes all the more essential -- especially when the country's Prime Minister is compromised," Gandhi said in his post on Instagram.
"The Congress party and I take immense pride in the courage and patriotism of our 'babbar shers'," he added.
A group of Youth Congress workers had staged a dramatic protest inside a hall of the AI summit venue by removing their shirts to reveal T-shirts printed with slogans against the government and the India-US interim trade deal, before being whisked away by security personnel.
Youth Congress chief Uday Bhanu Chib, along with those who participated in the demonstration, was arrested in connection with the "shirtless protest" at the venue of the summit at Bharat Mandapam. Chib and others were later released on bail.
