As the Omicron fear intensifies across India, a woman from Botswana has gone missing on arrival in Jabalpur district in Madhya Pradesh. The administration has launched a frantic search for the Botswana-origin woman across the district, after her disappearance.
The woman had arrived from Botswana at Jabalpur’s Dumna airport on November 18 and has been untraceable since. The information regarding her arrival was given to the authorities by the airline, and a search for her was commenced in the state.
According to TOI reports, Jabalpur chief medical and health officer Ratnesh Khurariya said that the initial information regarding the woman was given by the airlines that a South African national had flown to India. She has been identified as 24-year-old Khumo Oremeet Selyn, a resident of Botswana.
The state administration has scanned hotels and guest houses in the area in search of the woman, who has not been located yet. The intense search has been launched due to the rising fears regarding the Omicron variant of COVID-19, which has been detected in Botswana, South Africa, and other countries.
Dr Khurariya was quoted as saying, “We had her email ID and a phone number. We made calls to confirm, but there is still some confusion. When we contacted that person, she denied having come to Jabalpur and said she was in the embassy at New Delhi.”
The new COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529 has been named the Omicron variant by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This variant of the virus is known to carry 50 mutations overall, including more than 30 on the spike protein alone.
As the new variant of COVID-19 is being detected in several countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, and South Africa, the Centre has issued new travel guidelines to all the states and UTs, asking them to monitor all the international travellers strictly.
