First COVID-19 Variant Infection Confirmed in India... "6 People Returned from UK"

Indian Government Forms Task Force for Quarantine Response... Extension of Quarantine Strengthening Order

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] On the 29th, local media including The Times of India reported that six people in India were confirmed to be infected with the new variant of the coronavirus (COVID-19) originating from the UK. All of them were people who returned from the UK, and the Indian government has established a task force (TF) for quarantine response.

According to the report, the Indian Ministry of Health announced that six people who returned from the UK were confirmed to be infected with the COVID-19 variant. All of them had undergone COVID-19 testing and were in isolation; three are being monitored in southern Bengaluru, two in central Hyderabad, and one in western Pune. Considering this, the quarantine authorities are tracing and identifying close contacts.

India has suspended all flights from the UK until the end of this month to prevent the inflow of the UK-origin COVID-19 variant. However, from the end of last month until recently, about 33,000 passengers traveled from the UK to India by air, among whom 114 tested positive for COVID-19, and the Ministry of Health is currently verifying whether they carry the variant virus.

Along with this, the Indian government has formed a TF called 'INSACOG' under the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to detect the COVID-19 variant virus and respond to quarantine measures. This organization will monitor genome mutations of the COVID-19 virus in collaboration with various research institutes across India and support vaccine development.

Furthermore, the Indian government extended the 'COVID-19 Surveillance Guidelines (Enhanced Quarantine Order),' which were scheduled to end this month, until the end of next month. These guidelines include measures to strengthen virus surveillance, tracing, and isolation, as well as some restrictions on indoor gatherings and theater operations. India's cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases was recorded at 10,207,871 as of the previous day. The daily new cases, which approached 100,000 in September, have recently decreased significantly to around 20,000.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.