The emergence of the new and deadly Covid-19 variant 'Omicron' has alarmed the global countries to strengthen the guards in battling the pandemic. The variant was first reported from South Africa on November 24 and the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated it as a Variant of Concern.

Like the rest of the countries, India is also imposing various restrictions on travellers from various countries. On Monday, Tamil Nadu has displayed that it is gearing up its battle against the variant proactively. The state government has affirmed that no case of the Omicron variant has been detected in the state so far and instructed the district administrations to ramp up the measures to curb the variant. The state had witnessed a crucial meeting concerning the variant on Monday, a day after the public health directorate issued fresh guidelines for the international travellers. 

The meeting was chaired by Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu during which he reviewed the preparedness and gave instructions to the District Collectors and other top officials. He had urged them to take all precautionary measures to prevent the spread of Omicron. In an official release, the government has said that the Chief Secretary has told the collectors and officials that no case of the Omicron variant has been detected in Tamil Nadu so far. 

He further said that the measures, including strict surveillance of international air travellers, expediting the vaccination programme, and conforming to mask behaviour were needed to check the spread of the virus. On the other hand, Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma Subramanian has said that in the wake of the Omicron variant, cluster areas were being monitored closely and samples were being made to undergo Whole Genome Sequencing. He added that all these tests have only returned Delta variant cases. 

On Sunday, Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Health and Family Welfare had issued the guidelines in which it has advised the airlines to ensure availability of the negative RT-PCR report before allowing the passengers to board from their respective cities en route to Chennai. Before arriving at Chennai or any other airports in the state, the flyers should fill up a self-declaration form and upload the negative test report. It has said that the travellers coming from countries at risk should test negative and they have to go for a re-test on the eighth day since their arrival. If the person tests positive after eight days, he/she should be admitted to an isolation facility and the sample should be sent for genomic testing. 

The patient can be discharged at the discretion of doctors if the genomic testing is negative for the Omicron variant. If the individual tests positive for Omicron, he/she should adhere to the strict isolation and treatment protocol. The Directorate has said that five per cent of flyers from other countries would be chosen for random testing. They should self-monitor for 14 days if tested negative. If they develop symptoms during quarantine or self-health monitoring period or test positive on repeat testing, the report must be shared with the nearest health facility.

Children under the age of five can have an exemption from testing unless they show the symptoms of the pandemic. The Directorate has said that the travellers from 12 countries will be facing more restrictions. The travellers from the countries of South Africa, the UK, Brazil, Bangladesh, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong, Israel, Botswana, and China must produce a Covid-19 negative report before entering Chennai or anywhere in the state.