THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state health department has issued a warning as a new variant of Covid has been detected in the country. The health department has suggested that masks should be worn properly and those who do not take precautions should vaccinate. Health Minister Veena George also instructed to strengthen surveillance in all districts.

"Steps will be taken to monitor those coming from outside the state. If they have any kind of health problems, they should seek treatment. Strict inspection will be held. It is estimated that the under-reporting of cases is due to a lack of testing at present. The government is of the opinion that the state cannot go into a lockdown. So the health department is making efforts to avoid this. However, it will not go into strict regulations. As Christmas and New Year are approaching, there is currently no decision to go into measures like restricting celebrations. With festive days approaching, people should take personal precautions. A proposal has been made to carry out genomic sequencing to find the new variant.," Health Minister said.