New Delhi: All the flights to the United Kingdom from India have been suspended following the concern over the new strain of the COVID-19 virus, which is said to be 70 per cent more transmissible.
Apart from India, several other countries have also banned the flights and travellers from the UK to their countries to prevent the spread of this new strain of the novel coronavirus.
The Civil Aviation Ministry said that considering the present situation in the UK, the Government of India has decided to suspend all flights, which originates from the United Kingdom to India till 11:59 PM on December 31. The suspension of the flights are to start with immediate effect from Tuesday, that is, December 22.
Many nations under the European Union (EU) have also cancelled flights to the UK after the news broke out about the new COVID-19 strain in the UK.
The Health Minister of India, Harsh Vardhan had said that there is no reason to panic regarding the new strain of the novel coronavirus. He assured that the government is keeping an eye on the latest developments regarding the new strain of the virus.
The issue about this new strain has been discussed with the top advisors by the health ministry during an emergency meeting. The Health Secretary of UK Matt Hancock has said that London could be under months of lockdown. It is very difficult to stop the spread of the highly infectious mutant strain until the coronavirus vaccines are rolled out. The new set of restrictions will be reviewed by the British government on December 30.
It is to be mentioned that the UK was the first country to license a vaccine against the COVID-19. The vaccine was authorised in the UK by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA).