Arvind Kejriwal's tweet on 'Singapore COVID-19 strain' sparks diplomatic row; S Jaishankar slams 'irresponsible comments'

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's comments on a 'new form of coronavirus ' in Singapore sparked off a diplomatic row on Wednesday, with the country expressing 'strong objections' to the remark.

Taking to Twitter, Kejriwal said the new strain of coronavirus could invade India in the form of a third wave.

"The new form of coronavirus in Singapore is said to be very dangerous for children. It could reach Delhi in the form of a third wave. My appeal to the Central government: 1. Cancel all air services with Singapore with immediate effect 2. Work on vaccine alternatives for children on a priority basis," the Delhi chief minister said in a tweet in Hindi on Tuesday.

Responding to Kejriwal’s tweet, Singapore’s health ministry said: “There is no truth whatsoever in the assertions found within the reports”.

There is no truth in the assertion that there is a new COVID strain in Singapore. Phylogenetic testing has shown that the B.1.617.2 variant is the prevalent strain in many of the COVID cases, including in children, in recent weeks in Singapore.https://t.co/uz0mNPNxlE https://t.co/Vyj7gyyzvJ

— Singapore in India (@SGinIndia) May 18, 2021

“There is no Singapore variant. The strain that is prevalent in many of the COVID-19 cases in recent weeks is the B.1.617.2 variant, which originated in India. Phylogenetic testing has shown this B.1.617.2 variant to be associated with several clusters in Singapore,” it said in a statement.

In response, the spokesperson for India's external affairs ministry Arindam Bagchi said, "Singapore Government called in our High Commissioner today to convey strong objection to the Delhi chief minister's tweet on "Singapore variant". High Commissioner clarified that Delhi CM had no competence to pronounce on Covid variants or civil aviation policy."

Union Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar also put out a response on Twitter, saying —

However, irresponsible comments from those who should know better can damage long-standing partnerships.

So, let me clarify- Delhi CM does not speak for India.

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) May 19, 2021

Earlier, responding to the  Delhi chief minister's appeal, India''s Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said only a few flights are being operated between the two countries under the government's Vande Bharat Mission to bring stranded Indians back, and added that "all precautions are being taken".

While there is no known Singapore strain of the coronavirus or any known to have originated in the city-state, Kejriwal appeared to be referring to a media report on Monday.

The report had mentioned the threat posed to Singapore's children by the variant first detected in India.

Reacting to the media report, Dr V K Paul, member (health), NITI Aayog, told a briefing on Tuesday, "We are examining it".

Aviation Minister Puri replied to the Delhi chief minister's tweet, saying, "Kejriwal ji, all international flights have been stopped since March 2020. We have no air bubble with Singapore either."

Only a few flights are being operated between the two countries under Vande Bharat Mission to bring back Indians stuck there, he added.

"We are still keeping an eye on the situation. All precautions are being taken," Puri noted.

Earlier this month, the chief minister had said Delhi should prepare for the third wave of COVID-19 .

The national capital on Tuesday reported 4,482 COVID-19 cases, the lowest single-day rise since April 5, and 265 fatalities, while the positivity rate dipped to 6.89 per cent.

Delhi had reported 4,524 cases and 340 fatalities on Monday, while the positivity rate was 8.42 percent.

With inputs from PTI