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Assembly polls in Goa, other states could be postponed as Omicron spreads like wildfire?

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MUMBAI: Experts opined that there is a possibility that the Assembly elections scheduled to be held in Goa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and other states in February next year, could be postponed by 2-3 months, even as the Centre warned states and UTs to activate war rooms, emergency operation centres and impose Night Curfew and local containment wherever required to arrest the spread of the coronavirus Omicron variant in the country. ALSO READ: Maharashtra reports 11 new Omicron cases, tally reaches 65

The third wave is likely to hit the country by end-January or the first half of February and parts of the country or Covid hotspots could be put under conditional lock down, with only essential services permitted.

Asserting that the Omicron variant is at least thrice more transmissible than Delta, the Centre Tuesday asked states and union territories to ”activate” war rooms, keep analyzing even small trends and surges and keep taking strict and prompt containment action at district and local levels.

ALSO READ: Centre warns states, UTs to ‘activate’ war rooms, emergency operation centres as Omicron 3 times more transmissible than Delta

In a letter to the states and union territories, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan advised implementing strategic interventions for containment like imposition of night curfew, strict regulation of large gatherings, curtailing numbers in marriages and funerals besides increasing testing and surveillance.

The letter highlights measures that need to be taken in view of initial signs of surge in cases of COVID-19 as well as increased detection of the variant of concern Omicron in different parts of the country.

ALSO READ: Over 200 cases of Omicron detected in India, Maharashtra, Delhi have 54 cases each

Over two hundred cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus have been detected in India so far out of which 77 patients have recovered or migrated, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday evening.

Maharashtra and Delhi have recorded 54 cases of Omicron variant each, while Telangana registered 20 cases, Karnataka 19, Rajasthan 18, Kerala 15 and Gujarat 14 cases.

ALSO READ: Centre tells states to impose Night Curfew, activate War Rooms and Emergency Services

The ministry data updated on Tuesday also stated that India recorded 5,326 new cases of coronavirus infections, the lowest in 581 days, taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,47,52,164, while the active cases declined to 79,097, the lowest in 574 days .

The death toll climbed to 4,78,007 with 453 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am.

(with inputs from agencies)

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