The second-most impacted country by the pandemic has decided to resume international passenger flights from high-risk countries while implementing stricter border screening measures. Prime Minister Modi emphasized the importance of monitoring all international arrivals, testing according to guidelines, and focusing on countries identified as high-risk after the WHO declared the new variant of COVID-19 to be concerning. The WHO warned that the Omicron variant, first identified in South Africa, may spread more rapidly than other strains. India has seen a decrease in new cases due to increased vaccinations and immunity from previous infections, with daily cases dropping by half since September. The latest report indicated 8,318 new cases within the past day. However, the emergence of a new variant, characterized by a spike protein that differs significantly from the strain current vaccines target, has sparked concern worldwide and caused financial markets to react nervously. Modi emphasized the importance of increased vigilance and adherence to preventative measures like mask-wearing and social distancing. He stressed the need for a proactive approach in response to the new variant and instructed for continued intensive containment and surveillance in areas with high case numbers. Additionally, he called for technical assistance to be provided to states experiencing a surge in cases. Modi instructed officials to speed up the administration of second doses, as reported.