Omicron scare: West Bengal government extends COVID-related restrictions till Jan 15

Amid mounting concerns over the threat of the Omicron variant spreading, the West Bengal government has extended COVID-related restrictions till January 15. As per the issue ordered, restrictions related to the movement of people and vehicles between 11 pm and 5 am shall be relaxed for Christmas and New Year celebrations from December 24 to January 1.

All shops and restaurants and bars are allowed to operate normally and bars can operate even in late hours from December 24 to January 1. People are urged to follow COVID appropriate behaviour including wearing masks and maintaining social distance in public places. 

The order stated, "Employers/management bodies/owners/supervisors of all offices. establishments and workplaces shall be responsible for the provisioning of all COVID safety measures including regular sanitization of work places, vaccination of employees, and for compliance of stated directive and and COVID appropriate norms".

West Bengal reports 1st case of Omicron

The Health department of the state on Wednesday informed that a seven-year-old boy has tested positive for the Omicron variant in West Bengal, becoming the state's first patient of the new variant. 

According to reports, the boy arrived in Murshidabad district from Hyderabad along with his parents. While the parents tested negative for the new Coronavirus variant but the young boy had reported positive for the same.  

To date, West Bengal has reported a total of 16,24,161 COVID cases with 19,620 deaths. The state has administered a total of 9,85,82,937 COVID-10 vaccine doses across 4,471 vaccination sites. 

COVID situation in India

India on Wednesday, December 15, reported 6,984  fresh coronavirus infections with 8,168 recoveries in the last 24 hours. According to data provided by the Union Health Ministry, out of the total infections, active cases account for less than 1%, which is currently at 0.25%, the lowest since March 2020. The COVID-19 recovery rate stands at 98.38%.

To date, the country has administered 134.61 crores COVID-19 vaccine doses under the nationwide vaccination drive.

According to a Health Ministry report, India has reported more than 61 Omicron cases. States that have recorded the cases of the new COVID variant include Maharashtra with 28, followed by Rajasthan, with 17, Karnataka (3), Gujarat (4), Kerala (1), and Andhra Pradesh (1), as well as Delhi (6) and Chandigarh Union Territories (1).

(Image: PTI/SHUTTERSTOCK)