India removes Singapore from list of 'at-risk' countries amid Omicron concern

On December 9, the Indian government amended its list of "at-risk" countries, and Singapore was removed from the list. According to the latest update, overseas passengers arriving in India would no longer be subjected to additional COVID testing and quarantine measures. The news agency ANI posted the information on Twitter. The caption read, "Singapore removed from the list of 'at risk' countries from where travellers would need to follow additional measures on arrival in India, including post-arrival testing. 12 countries including South Africa, Botswana and China are on the list."

However, these 12 countries including the European nations, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Ghana, Mauritius, New Zealand, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Hong Kong, and Israel, remain on the 'at-risk' list. Passengers arriving in India from certain countries are required to take an RT-PCR test and are not permitted to leave the airport or board a connecting aircraft unless they receive a negative result.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare stated on Tuesday that Bangladesh had been removed from the list of "at-risk countries." The statement was met with immediate acceptance in Dhaka, where Foreign Minister Dr A.K. Abdul Momen stated that the decision was made in response to a request from the Government of Bangladesh, PTI reported. On the other hand, on Monday, India added Ghana and Tanzania to its list of "at risk" countries in response to growing concerns about the novel COVID variant, Omicron. Travellers from these countries will be required to undergo additional COVID testing and quarantine measures. On Sunday, Delhi reported its first instance of the Omicron strain of the coronavirus, with a 37-year-old fully vaccinated male arriving from Tanzania testing positive.

COVID-19 recovery rate at 98.36%, highest since March '20

According to data issued by the Ministry of Health on Thursday, the country has reported 9,419 new COVID cases and 159 fatalities in the last 24 hours, bringing the total caseload to 3,46,66,241 and the death toll to 4,74,111. In the last 24 hours, the active COVID caseload has grown by 1,009 cases. In addition, the country recorded 8,251 recoveries, bringing the total number of recoveries to 3,40,97,388. As a result, the national recovery rate has risen to 98.36%, the highest level since March 2020. The number of active cases has risen to 94,742, accounting for 0.27% of total infections, the lowest rate since March 2020, according to the Health Ministry, while the national COVID recovery rate has reached 98.36%, the greatest level since March 2020.

(With inputs from agencies)

(Image: PTI)