Lok Sabha to have discussion on Covid-19 pandemic on Wednesday: Minister

Time has been allotted for a short-duration discussion on the COVID-19 pandemic in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Tuesday.

The discussion will be held under Rule 193, under which members may seek details about the new 'Omicron' variant of SARS-CoC-2.

A short-duration discussion will be held in Lok Sabha on the pandemic on Wednesday, Joshi told reporters here.

On Tuesday, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told Rajya Sabha that the new COVID-19 variant has not been reported in India yet and asserted the government has taken measures to ensure it does not reach the country and has issued an advisory after looking at the developments globally.

Amidst a heightened level of concern over the Omicron variant, the Centre on Tuesday advised states and union territories to ramp up testing and undertake effective surveillance of international passengers.