New Delhi- At least nine countries have suspended flights from India as the cases of the novel coronavirus in India are skyrocketing and spiraling out of control with every passing day, claiming lives by the thousands and exhausting the already overburdened resources in the country.
The nine countries which have banned the incoming of flights from India are the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, France, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Oman, and these jurisdictions have issued fresh guidelines for travel to and from India to curb the spread of this deadly infectious disease.
The experts are expecting further closure of borders from travelers coming from India to prevent the spread of the new mutant COVID variant that has been recently detected in many parts of India.
UAE announced that from Sunday onwards all flights from India, including transit passengers would be suspended as the cases of the novel coronavirus seem to be skyrocketing and spiraling out of control with every passing day. The travel ban has been announced for 10 days which will come into effect from 11.59 pm on Saturday, April 24. Read more
UAE-based airlines such as Emirates, Etihad, FlyDubai, and Air Arabia have also canceled all their flights from India. The Emirates airline, on its website, stated that all the affected customers should contact their travel agent or Emirates contact center for rebooking options.
"General Authority of Civil Aviation UAE has suspended all inbound passenger movement to the UAE from India (excluding UAE nationals)… Passengers booked to fly with us during this period will be able to reschedule their tickets once the restrictions are lifted," stated Air India Express.
The health ministry of Singapore had announced that with effect from 11.59 pm local time on Friday, all long-term and short-term pass holders and visitors with travel history to India, including transit passengers who have visited India in the last 14 days will not be allowed to enter Singapore, or even transit through the country.
Australia too has posed strict restrictions on its residents arriving from India. Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison said, "We're in the middle of a global pandemic that is raging. And Australia has been successful throughout this pandemic…to have very effective border arrangements." He added by saying "there will continue to be the opportunity for those to return from places like India but in very controlled circumstances."
Oman and France earlier this week issued fresh restrictions for travel from India. Oman banned the entry of travelers from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh who are not Omani citizens until further notice while France put India on the list of countries where travelers need to undergo mandatory 10-day quarantine upon arrival.
The UK on Monday declared India to be on the COVID-19 travel "red list" which bans all travel from the country and makes a 10-day hotel quarantine compulsory for UK residents arriving back to their country.
Meanwhile, India yet again breaks its previous day's record as it records the highest single-day spike 3.32 Lakh fresh cases of the novel coronavirus. 2,263 COVID-induced deaths have been reported from across the country taking the total tally of deaths so far to 1.86 Lakh. The number of active caseloads in the country amounts to 24.22 Lakh taking the total tally of caseload to 1.62 Crores. Today is the second straight day that India has reported more than 3 lakh cases, making it the second-worst coronavirus-affected country in the world, only after the United States of America which is the worst affected country.
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