India suspends all UK flights from Dec 23 to 31

India has suspended all passenger flights connecting to the UK from Wednesday, December 23 to December 31 in the wake of the emergence of a mutated variant of the coronavirus there, joining several other countries that have imposed a similar flight ban.

Moreover, passengers coming from the UK through flights till Tuesday midnight would be tested for COVID-19 on arrival at airports “as a measure of abundant precaution”, the Civil Aviation Ministry said on Monday.

A number of countries including Canada, Turkey, Belgium, Italy and Israel have banned flights from the UK as the British government warned that the potent new strain of the virus was “out of control” and imposed a stringent new stay-at-home lockdown from Sunday.

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Twitter that the passengers who are found COVID-19-positive would be sent for institutional quarantine set up by states or union territories (UTs).

“Those found negative should be advised to isolate at home for seven days and will be medically monitored by states/UTs,” Puri added.

Till date, the rules stated that if an international passenger had a COVID-19-negative certificate from a test done 72 hours prior to the journey, he or she need not undergo a COVID-19 test again on arrival at the Indian airport.

Earlier during the day, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote to Union Civil Aviation Ministry Secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola recommending suspension of all flights originating from the UK into India till December 31.

“As you are aware India has been seeing a sustained decline in the number of fresh COVID-19 cases for over two-and-a-half months now accompanied by a decline in the number of deaths,” Bhushan stated.

“In this scenario, any interjection of a SARS-CoV-2 variant virus through passengers with a travel history could pose a critical risk for pandemic management in India,” he added.

Bhushan recommended mandatory COVID-19 tests at airports for passengers coming from the UK, adding that the state governments should create separate desks at airports to facilitate the entire process.

Aviation regulator DGCA on Monday said all airlines must ensure that passengers travelling from the UK do not board their flights from anywhere outside the UK to come to India during the suspension period.

The regulator said the aforementioned suspension would not be applicable on cargo flights.

TV BRICS reports with reference to Trinity Mirror.