With six new cases, the number of the new UK variant of SARS-Cov-2 in India climbed to 102, said the union health ministry on Wednesday.

The number of UK returnees who tested positive for the mutated COVID-19 was 96 till Monday.

All those who have tested positive have been kept in single-room isolation at designated healthcare facilities by the respective state governments, the health ministry had earlier said.

Their close contacts have also been put under quarantine and a comprehensive contact-tracing exercise has been initiated for the co-travellers, family members and others, the ministry said, adding that the genome sequencing of other specimens is going on.

The situation is being monitored and regular advice is being given to the states for enhanced surveillance, containment, testing and dispatch of samples to INSACOG laboratories.

The presence of the new UK variant of the coronavirus has been reported by several countries, including Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon,and Singapore.