Three more test positive for Omicron in U'khand, number rises to four

Three more persons tested positive for Omicron in Uttarakhand on Monday, taking the number of people infected with the latest COVID-19 variant to four in the state.

One of the three cases is a 28-year-old man who had returned from Yemen and tested positive for the Omicron variant in Haridwar.

The two others are a 74-year-old man and a 65-year-old woman who had come into contact with a family that had returned from Dubai and tested positive for the strain in Dehradun, Director General, Health, Tripti Bahuguna said.

A 34-year-old woman who had returned from London had tested positive for Omicron on December 11.

Meanwhile, night curfew was imposed across Uttarakhand on Monday in the wake of the rising cases of the new variant of coronavirus.

The night curfew which comes into effect on Monday night will remain in force from 11 pm to 5 am till further orders, said an order issued by Chief Secretary S S Sandhu.

However, essential services like health, movement of vehicles carrying health personnel, ambulances, postal services have been exempted from the ambit of the curfew.

Production, transportation and distribution of petrol, diesel, kerosene and LPG will also be exempt from the curbs, the order said.

Private vehicles too will have the permission to commute for emergencies during the curfew time with strict adherence to Covid SOPs and safety protocols.

Health secretary Pankaj Kumar Pandey has issued detailed guidelines to chief medical officers of all the districts to keep an eye on the situation.