Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday said that the Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will soon chair a meeting with the district collectors to discuss additional steps to be taken to combat new COVID 19 variant Omicron. He said the state government will follow the norms laid down by the Central government for international passengers,
Pawar, who is the Pune district guardian minister, admitted it has raised concerns adding that new restrictions may soon have to be imposed in Pune district.
On the other hand, the Public Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that there was no immediate threat to the state by the South African variant 'Omicron' as no cases so far were reported in India and also in the state.
"We need to be vigilant. No new variants have been found yet. We will work to keep a close eye on people coming from South Africa", said the health minister.
When asked about whether reopening of schools will be affected, he said, "The state government has decided to start the school from December 1. Our department has no objection to this proposal. Nevertheless, the Chief Minister will take stock of the entire administration on Sunday evening".
Tope had earlier said that the third wave of COVID-19 is expected in December but it will be mild in impact. He observed that medical oxygen and ICU beds will not be required during the third wave period. "The third wave is expected to be mild and medical oxygen and ICU beds will not be required," he said.
Meanwhile, Pawar said that passengers arriving in Pune by flights will not have to spend too much time at the airport for verification of COVID-19 norms due to relaxation provided recently.
He said airline operators check the vaccination or RT-PCR status of all passengers at the time of selling tickets as well as boarding, so the norm of waiting at the airport here for a few hours after arrival has been relaxed.
Pawar said cinema halls and auditoriums can operate at 100 percent capacity but patrons will have to wear masks and follow pandemic protocols strictly, while open-air programmes will also be allowed with adequate precaution.
