COVID-19 to play spoilsport ahead of Christmas, New Year? THESE states have issued advisories for revellers

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ALSO READ: WHO classifies JN.1 as 'variant of interest' amid sharp uptick in Covid-19 cases On Monday, the Centre asked states and UTs to maintain constant vigil amid the uptick in respiratory illness cases and the detection of the JN.1 variant of the coronavirus in the country. Considering the upcoming festive season, Union Health Secretary Sudhansh Pant said states should put in place requisite public health measures and other arrangements to minimise the risk of transmission of the disease. Here's list of states on alert and what measures have they taken so far: India's first JN.1 case was detected in a sample taken from a 79-year-old woman in Kerala with mild symptoms on December 8.

The Kerala health minister was quoted by PTI as saying that the JN.1 omicron variant was confirmed in only one sample and that person was cured. ALSO READ: COVID-19 Update: India records 260 new cases, total active at 1,828 According to the Hindustan Times, Kerala Health Minister Veena George said elderly people and those with severe illnesses must take precautions to avoid contracting COVID-19. She even asked the public not to panic or spread fear in the wake of the rise in infections.

"(There's) No need to worry. We are keenly monitoring the situation. But we should be alert.

People with comorbidities should be taken care of," she said on Monday. In a bid to prevent any spread of the virus, she said instructions were issued for testing of those showing symptoms and to send their samples for genomic sequencing. Besides that, the number of COVID tests was increased and adequate stock of protective gear and medicines was ensured, she said.