The country that is the second most affected by the pandemic recently decided to resume international passenger flights from countries considered high-risk for coronavirus. This decision was made after the World Health Organization declared the new variant, Omicron, to be a cause for concern. Prime Minister Modi emphasized the importance of monitoring all international arrivals, testing them according to guidelines, and focusing on countries at risk. India has seen a decrease in new cases recently due to increased vaccinations and antibodies from previous infections. The statement reported 8,318 new cases within the previous 24 hours. However, the emergence of a new variant, characterized by a spike protein that differs significantly from the strain targeted by current vaccines, has sparked concern worldwide and caused unease in financial markets. Modi emphasized the importance of increased vigilance and adherence to safety measures, such as mask-wearing and social distancing. He highlighted the necessity of taking proactive measures in response to the new variant and instructed for ongoing intensive containment and surveillance in areas experiencing high case numbers. Additionally, he called for technical assistance to be provided to states with elevated case counts. Modi instructed officials to speed up the administration of the second dose, as reported.