Omicron: Huge number of Covid cases on second Italy-India flight say Indian officials

For a second time in two days, the majority of passengers arriving in India on a flight from Italy have tested positive for Covid according to Indian officials.

On Friday, 173 out of 285 passengers aboard the flight from Rome to Amritsar tested positive on arrival.

It follows more than a hundred people testing positive after arriving in Amritsar from Milan on Wednesday.

On Thursday, cases in Italy reached a new record of nearly 220,000.

India reported more than 100,000 cases on Friday - experts believe Omicron is causing the sharp jump in infections the country has seen in the last week.

Punjab, where Amritsar is located, is among several states that have brought back curbs to fight the rise in Covid-19 infections. On Tuesday, the state imposed a temporary night curfew and shut all schools and colleges.

The passengers with Covid who arrived from Rome have been sent for institutional quarantine in their home districts, local health officials said.

The infected passengers from the Milan flight two days earlier were taken to hospital.

However, at least 13 people on the Milan flight managed to escape quarantine. Police say they will file complaints against them.

India has so far recorded more than 35 million Covid cases and around 483,000 deaths from the virus.