The National Technical Advisory Committee (NTAC) today placed four-point recommendations to prevent  the highly contagious new African  COVID-19 variant named Omicron.    The recommendations were made at a meeting of the committee as the new South African variant was detected recently, an official release said.  At the meeting, the committee members said the new African  COVID-19 variant Omicron has spread in several countries of South Africa and Europe.   The World Health Organization on Friday (November 26) declared the recently-discovered B.1.1.529 strain of Covid-19, first detected in southern Africa, to be a variant of concern.  A number of countries in Asia, Europe, Africa and America have already imposed travel bans with the countries infected by the new variant of COVID-19.  The recommendations are as follows:  1.   Bangladesh has to issue travel ban with those countries, where a new variant Omicron was detected.  2.   Passengers must be kept for 14 days institutional quarantine, if they have recent travel history in those countries infected by the new South African variant.  3.   Screening at all gateways including air, land and waterways must be strengthened alongside improving the healthcare system and limiting public gatherings.  4.   COVID-19 test should be conducted at free of cost for encouraging the people to receive testing facilities to halt outbreak of the newly discovered coronavirus variant.  On November 27,  Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque said Bangladesh remains alert to prevent the highly contagious new African COVID-19 variant Omicron.  On November 25 (Thursday) scientists in South Africa said they had detected a new Covid-19 variant (Omicron) with multiple mutations.     The World Health Organization on Friday (November 26) declared the recently-discovered B.1.1.529 strain of Covid-19, first detected in southern Africa, to be a variant of concern and renamed it Omicron.      The classification puts Omicron into the most-troubling category of Covid-19 variants, along with the globally-dominant Delta, plus its weaker rivals Alpha, Beta and Gamma. Source: BSS AH