India: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has urged people to start wearing masks again as the country increases surveillance due to the global rise of COVID cases.

Mr. Modi held a meeting to review the COVID situation and other related aspects in the country amid a new variant scare.

“COVID is not over yet,” Prime Minister stated, calling for more testing and a return to COVID-appropriate behavior. The Indian states are becoming more cautious as mask rules are brought back in crowded places.

Earlier, India relaxed its COVID rules, including mask-wearing, after a fall in infection levels. According to Union Health Ministry data, India has reported 185 new coronavirus infections on December 22, which is a slight rise in cases and comes a day after the country reported 131 infections on the previous day.

“Precaution dose to be encouraged especially for vulnerable and elderly groups,” Mr. Modi observed at the meeting.

The prime minister stressed the need to ensure that the entire COVID infrastructure at all levels is maintained at a high level of preparedness in terms of equipment, processes, and human resources as well as advised states to audit COVID-specific facilities to ensure operational readiness of hospital infrastructure, including oxygen cylinders, PSA plants, ventilators, and human resources.

According to government data, India currently has only around 3,400 active coronavirus cases, but reports of the surge in China have created a sense of fear among many people.

The government stated that there are no plans yet to stop flights from countries where new cases have been reported. However, the country resumed random testing of international travellers at the airports.