The Indian government has decided to extend the temporary suspension of flights to and from the United Kingdom till January 7 2021 over the new fast-spreading strain of the coronavirus in that country. The decision to extend the interim suspension was announced by the Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Twitter.
“Decision has been taken to extend the temporary suspension of flights to & from the UK till 7 January 2021,” tweeted Puri, adding, “Thereafter strictly regulated resumption will take place for which details will be announced shortly.”
Decision has been taken to extend the temporary suspension of flights to & from the UK till 7 January 2021.
— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) December 30, 2020
Thereafter strictly regulated resumption will take place for which details will be announced shortly.
It is pertinent to note that the development came after 20 people, who came from the UK to India, have tested positive for the new strain of COVID-19 variant, which is 20 per cent more infectious. On Tuesday, it was reported that six UK returnees tested positive for the new Covid-19 strain.
Puri had earlier said that the country is likely to extend the temporary suspension of flights to and from the UK beyond 31 December. “I foresee a slight extension of the temporary suspension,” the civil aviation minister had said.
India temporarily halts flights to and from the UK amidst the detection of new coronavirus strain
Earlier on December 21, India had temporarily halted all flights originating from the UK to India till 31st December in the wake of a more-infectious mutated coronavirus strain detected in the United Kingdom.
Besides temporary suspension, the ministry had also stated that as a measure of abundant precaution, passengers arriving from 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.
