India to randomly test 2% of international travellers for Covid

India will start randomly testing 2% of international passengers arriving at its airports for Covid-19, Mansukh Mandaviya, the country’s health minister, told parliament yesterday, as the country steps up surveillance for new coronavirus variants.
“The global pandemic is not yet over. The virus is changing its face from time to time,” Mandaviya told parliament yesterday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with top officials yesterday to review the Covid-19 situation in the country.
“Considering the upcoming festival season and New Year, states have been advised to keep up awareness of hand hygiene and the importance of masking,” Mandaviya said.
India’s iconic Taj Mahal, which attracts thousands of tourists every day will now require visitors to undergo a Covid-19 test before they enter, Reuters partner ANI reported.
Lawmakers attending the ongoing winter session of parliament were spotted wearing masks.
Masks have not been compulsory in most parts of the country for several months.
India is reporting an average of 153 cases of Covid every day, Mandaviya said.
The country has 3,402 active cases of the coronavirus, according to data from the health ministry. The government earlier this week asked India’s states to keep a lookout for any new variants of the coronavirus and urged people to wear masks in crowded areas, citing an increase in Covid-19 cases in China and other parts of the globe.
With more than 44mn Covid cases to date, India has reported the most in the world behind the US.
However, its number of confirmed infections has fallen sharply in the past few months.
Meanwhile, the chairperson of an Indian drug export body yesterday said the country, one of the world’s biggest drug makers, is ready to step up exports of fever medicines to China as it reels from a spike in Covid-19 cases.
China’s sudden easing of strict Covid-19 rules earlier this month triggered a surge in demand for fever medicines and virus test kits on the mainland, leading to shops imposing limits on how much customers can buy and drugmakers ramping up production.
“Marketing queries are coming to drugmakers asking for quotes on ibuprofen and paracetamol,” Sahil Munjal, chairperson of the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil), said.
“Ibuprofen and paracetamol are facing a shortage in China at the moment, they are high in demand.”
China’s embassy in New Delhi did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.
India’s foreign ministry said the country, one of the biggest makers of generic medicines in the world, was ready to help China.
“We are keeping an eye on the Covid situation in China,” foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a regular news briefing. “We have always helped other countries as the pharmacy of the world.”
India’s pharma exports to China accounted for just 1.4% of its overall exports in 2021/22, according to Pharmexcil’s latest annual report.
The US remains India’s largest destination for drugs exports. Shares of Indian pharmaceutical companies have risen over the past few days on worries of a Covid-19 resurgence.