Coronavirus has been detected in 61 passengers from two KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flights arriving in the Netherlands from South Africa, Dutch public broadcaster NOS reported on Saturday.
According to the broadcaster, the flights landed in Schiphol airport in Amsterdam on Friday, with all the passengers being kept there until late at night as everyone had to be tested for COVID-19 and wait for their results.
Those tested positive will be put in a special isolated hotel at Schiphol or nearby, where they will have to stay for five or seven days, depending on whether or not they have symptoms.
It is not yet known what kind of variant they are infected with.
The World Health Organization (WHO) identified on Friday the new South African strain as one of concern, as it is reported to carry a high number of mutations -- 32 -- which possibly makes it more transmissible and dangerous. The WHO has dubbed it Omicron, the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet.
On the same day, the Netherlands banned flights from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini until December 4 to prevent the spread of the new variant. (ANI/Sputnik)
( With inputs from ANI )
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