India bans all UK flights till December 31 fearing new, more infectious coronavirus strain

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Dec 21, 2020:    India has banned all flights from the United Kingdom after the discovery of a new and more infectious coronavirus strain spreading in the country. The air travel ban will stay till 23:59 pm on December 31. The suspension of all UK flights will begin from 23:59 pm on Tuesday. The decision to suspend all UK flights was taken considering the "prevailing situation on the UK", the government said.

 

In a tweet, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said, "Considering the prevailing situation in UK. The Government of India has decided that all flights originating from the UK to India to be suspended till 31st December 2020 (23.59 hours)."

All the passengers of the flights that are arriving in India from the UK till Tuesday will have to be tested on their arrival to detect the new strain of coronavirus.

"As a measure of abundant precaution, passengers arriving from the UK in all transit flights (flights that have taken off or flights which are reaching India before 22nd Dec at 23.59 hrs) should be subject to mandatory RT-PCR test on arrival at the airports concerned," the government said.
"This suspension to start w.e.f. 23.59 hours, 22nd December 2020. Consequently, flights from India to the UK shall stand temporarily suspended during the above said period," it added.

India has become the 10th country to suspend travel to and from the UK over the new coronavirus variant detected in the country after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that an infection was fast spreading in southern England. The new strain of coronavirus is reportedly up to 70 per cent more infectious.

On Saturday, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Canada, Ireland and Bulgaria had announced restrictions on UK travel hours after Boris Johnson made the announcement.

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has said the central government is on alert about the new coronavirus strain in the United Kingdom. Harsh Vardhan also asserted that there was no need to panic on the discovery of the new strain of coronavirus in the UK.

Courtesy:India Today