India has recorded a total of 415 Omicron cases and 115 recoveries, the Health Ministry said on Saturday. India reported 122 new cases of the new Covid19 variant in last 24 hours, according to the goverment data. Maharashtra accounts for the highest number of Omicron infections with 108 cases. Maharashtra is followed by Delhi with 79, Gujarat with 43 cases, Telangana with 38, Kerala has a total of 37 Omicron cases and Tamil Nadu has reported 34 cases. Interestingly, North east states of India remain untouched from the new variant.
The rise of Omicron cases in the country has become a major tension in view of Christmas and New Year. Many states in India, amid surge in covid infections, have imposed night curfews and limited public gatherings. Maharashtra, which has recorded highest number of Omicron cases, is one of these states. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has banned New Year celebration programmes and gatherings in any closed or open areas in the city, in the wake of new covid cases. Mumbai municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal issued an order, late Friday evening in this regard. “There shall be no gathering or celebration of New Year in any closed or open areas under the BMC jurisdiction,” the order said. The order came into effect from the midnight of December 25 and shall remain in force till the next directive.
The Maharashtra government has said that the gatherings of five or more will be prohibited in Maharashtra between 9 pm and 6 am. In view of Christmas and New Year, Haryana and Delhi have also tightened restrictions, although Delhi has allowed places of worship to remain open.
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India recorded 7,189 fresh Covid19 cases with 387 fatalities, in the last 24 hours, while active cases have declined to 77,032, according to the data updated at 8 am today. The country's total COVID-19 count rose to 3,47,79,815, with total deaths climbing to 4,79,520.
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The data by the ministry also showed that daily rise in coronavirus cases has been recorded below 15,000 for the last 58 days now. The data further showed, active cases have declined to 77,032 or 0.22 per cent of total infections, the lowest since March 2020. The national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.40 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the Health Ministry said.
