New Delhi, Dec 22 (PTI) Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will hold a meeting with health ministers of states and Union territories on Friday over rising COVID-19 cases in some parts of the world.

Mandaviya made a suo motu statement in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday on India's preparedness.

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"We are constantly monitoring the situation. There are no direct flights between China and India but people come via other routes," he said.

He said the focus is to ensure that no unknown variant of the virus enters India and at the same time there is no impediment to travelling.

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As China and some other countries witness a surge in Covid cases, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday cautioned against complacency, called for strict vigil and directed that the ongoing surveillance measures, especially at international airports, be strengthened.

"Covid is not over yet," Modi reiterated at a high-level Covid review meeting and urged people to wear masks in crowded places.

The Union Health Ministry asked the Civil Aviation Ministry to ensure random post-arrival Covid testing of two per cent of arriving passengers in each international flight at airports from December 24, to minimize the risk of ingress of any new variant of coronavirus in the country.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)