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BMC to ramp up testing amidst rising concerns over Omicron

Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar has announced new rules for people coming from South Africa to Mumbai.

BMC to ramp up testing amidst rising concerns over Omicron
Image: Aaditya Thackeray Official Twitter
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On Monday, November 29, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) alerted all its ward rooms, hospitals and jumbo centres about the new COVID-19 variant Omicron.

BMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal has directed officials to ramp up daily testing to 50k samples. He has also asked them to arrange hotels and jumbo centres to quarantine coronavirus patients arriving from high-risk countries.

On the same day, the state environment and tourism minister and the guardian minister of Mumbai suburbs, Aaditya Thackeray, held a review meeting with BMC officials. He asked them to stay alert about the new variant. Thackeray on Twitter wrote that Mumbai has 100% completed its first dose while the second dose is 72% done. 

In the meeting, he has also urged the Centre to reduce the gap between two doses so they can complete 100% of the second dose for the city by mid-January.

Additional municipal commissioner of BMC Suresh Kakani said that there are no cases of Omicron in Mumbai yet. However, he said that the next 15 days is going to be crucial.

The state government, on Saturday, had issued revised COVID-19 guidelines to prevent the spread of infection. Meanwhile, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar has announced new rules for people coming from South Africa to Mumbai.

On the other hand, the BMC has urged the state COVID-19 task force to provide them with data on dominant variants in European countries. Apart from this, the civic body is also arranging for hotels ranging from two stars to five stars, where they can quarantine the citizens.

Also read: Amid Approaching Festivities, BMC Forms Squads To Ensure COVID-19 Appropriate Behaviour

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