Mumbai, December 27: Union Minister Ramdas Athawale, who had given the slogan of "Go Corona, Corona Go" during the first phase of pandemic, has now come up with a new catchphrase amid the new coronavirus strain fears. While speaking to reporters on Sunday, Athawale said his new slogan is "No Corona, Corona No".

Athawale, who heads a faction of the Republican Party of India, had trended for days after he led a group in Mumbai shouting "Go Corona, Corona Go" in mid-March. A couple of days later, a nationwide lockdown was imposed and the cases kept piling up for months to come. Athawale Tested Positive for COVID-19 in October.

Update by ANI

According to Athawale, the coronavirus crisis is finally on its way out, but the new strain has ended up raising concerns. The mutated version of the virus was first detected in the United Kingdom, and has now spread to several other parts of the world.

"Earlier I gave the slogan 'Go Corona, Corona Go' and now corona is going. For the new coronavirus strain, I give the slogan of 'No Corona, Corona No'," Athawale said.

The new coronaviru strain, though not considered to more lethal, has been found to more transmissible. The variant is responsible for a 70 percent spurt in infection rate across the UK. Flights from the country have been suspended in India till at least December 31.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 27, 2020 06:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).