Canada was the most recent country to join the list with its Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announcing the ban would start late Thursday and will be in place for 30 days.
In light of the rising COVID-19 cases that are growing exponentially with each passing day, several countries have taken proactive measures and put in temporary restrictions for flights originating from India and asking their citizens to avoid travel. India reported 3,32,730 cases and 2263 deaths in the last 24 hours. The reports of new variants emerging in the country has led to this move.
Canada was the most recent country to join the list with its Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announcing the ban would start late Thursday and will be in place for 30 days.
In the past week, countries like Hong Kong, where some passengers from Mumbai tested positive at Hong Kong airport, activated an “emergency circuit breaker” and banned passenger flights from India for 14 days, starting April 20.
In UK, hours after PM Boris Johnson announced his visit to India being canceled, India was added to the ‘red list’ and an advisory was issued for travel. From April 23 onwards, UK residents arriving from India will have to quarantine in a hotel for 11 nights. Others from India will not be able to travel to the UK at all.
Also Read: UK PM Boris Johnson Cancels India Trip Due To Rising COVID-19 Cases ; Added to ‘Red List’
A four-day grace period has also been accorded to those who need to travel back to the UK without having to quarantine in a hotel.
India’s national carrier Air India suspended all flights to and fro from the UK from April 24-30. It said in a statement “Passengers who were to travel between India and the UK, may kindly note that in view of recent restrictions announced by the UK, flights from/to the UK stand canceled from 24th to 30th April ’21. Further updates regarding rescheduling, refunds, and waivers will be informed shortly. Post uplift of restrictions, flights schedule from Delhi and Mumbai to the UK are being planned. Information regarding this will also be updated on our Website and Social Media Channels,”
New Zealand also imposed a ban on any travel from India after it detected 23 Covid-19 cases among passengers arriving from outside earlier this month. According to reports, 17 of the 23 cases were found positive for the Indian variant of SARS-CoV-2, prompting authorities to put a ban on travel from India.
US’ Centre for Disease Control and Prevention also issued advisories and asked citizens to not travel to India. It further said that even fully vaccinated individuals might be at risk because of the new variant detected here.
These decisions come as a huge blow to the aviation industry that was just about to get on it’s feet and recover from the lockdown losses.
As an independent media platform, we do not take advertisements from governments and corporate houses. It is you, our readers, who have supported us on our journey to do honest and unbiased journalism. Please contribute, so that we can continue to do the same in future.
