BF.7 Scare: 8 Countries You Should AVOID Visiting This New Year

COVID BF.7 Scare: Passengers from China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Bangkok (Thailand) are required to upload their RT-PCR reports in advance (for travel to India).

New Delhi: With COVID cases witnessing a sudden spurt in China, Japan and the US, countries are expected to impose travel restrictions in the days to come. Last week Congress leader and MP Manish Tewari had asked the government to ban flights from China. “The reports available in the public space suggest that stringent COVID protocols must be put in place. One of them can be travel restrictions to and from China.” Moreover, he asserted there is a spike even in the United States, Japan and Korea, henceforth India should be on high alert. In this article, India.com has carefully listed countries that are witnessing rise in COVID cases, and it is best advised that you avoid travelling to these destinations as of now.

List of Countries You Should Avoid Visiting This New Year

1. Japan: Among countries coming in the grip of the fresh outbreak, Japan is worst hit with 371 deaths recorded on Saturday, followed by Brazil, South Korea.
2. US: The highly-contagious Omicron subvariant XBB has surged to more than 50% of COVID-19 cases in the northeastern United States and risks spreading fast as millionsof people begin holiday travel.
3. South Korea: The country confirmed 25,545 new coronavirus infections, including 67 from overseas, bringing the total to 28,684,600, Yonhap news agency reported, citing the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
   
4. China: The Covid BF.7 variant has wreaked havoc in China, infecting over 37 lakh people.
5. Brazil: Brazil is also witnessing a rise in COVID cases. As per Business Insider, Brazil has reported 9,45,568 cases and 3,125 deaths in nearly the past month.
6. France: French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne last month stated that “the COVID epidemic is starting again” and called for preventative measures. Borne said “an increase of almost 10 percent in hospitalizations, 22 percent increase in hospitalizations in critical care and 400 deaths from COVID” was observed last month.
7. Germany: Germany recorded more than 40 thousand cases since the past few days. So people are advised to avoid travelling to this country as of now.
8. Singapore: China CDC reported that 130 Omicron sub-lineages have been found in the past three months . These include several from the BQ.1 and XBB strains which have been circulating in the US, Britain and Singapore, among other countries.

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that RT-PCR test for the detection of COVID-19 would be made mandatory for international passengers arriving from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Thailand. Any passenger from these countries found symptomatic or testing positive for coronavirus would be quarantined, Mandaviya added.  He also said filling up of the ‘Air Suvidha’ form to declare the health status will be made mandatory for passengers coming from these countries.

“In view of the COVID-19 pandemic situation, passengers from China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Bangkok (Thailand) are required to upload their RT-PCR reports in advance (for travel to India). After landing in India, they will undergo thermal screening and we have issued an order for them to be quarantined if found positive or with fever on their arrival in the country,” the minister said.