NEW DELHI (Dec 24): Indians are crowding markets and taking packed flights to holiday destinations again despite calls from authorities urging restraint and caution amid rising cases of the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus. In terms of occupancy, we are back to pre-Covid-19 levels," Nilesh Shah, who heads a top travel body in the state, told Reuters. But Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has warned states not to let their guard down as cases of the Omicron variant jump to 358, although no deaths have been reported so far. On Thursday, an Indian court urged Modi's government to suspend political rallies in states facing elections due to the rise in Omicron infections. In all, India has recorded 34.8 million Covid-19 cases and nearly 480,000 deaths during the pandemic so far.

Source: The Edge Markets December 25, 2021 03:06 UTC