Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will hold a meeting with the health ministers of the states and Union territories on Friday in the wake of a rising number of COVID-19 cases in some countries, including China.

Mandaviya made a suo motu statement in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday on India's preparedness to curb the spread of the viral infection.

He said the situation is being constantly monitored. The minister also said while there are no direct flights between China and India, people from the neighbouring country arrive here via other routes.

The focus is to ensure that no new variant of the virus enters the country, he said, adding that at the same time, there is no impediment to travelling.

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

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

The Union health ministry has asked the civil aviation ministry to ensure random post-arrival Covid testing at airports of 2 per cent of the passengers arriving in India in each international flight from Saturday to minimise the risk of ingress of any new variant of the coronavirus in the country.

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