COVID-19: Aviation Minister says India likely to extend temporary suspension of UK flights

Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on December 29 said that he foresees a ‘short extension’ on the temporary suspension of flights from the UK amid concerns over the new COVID-19 variant that is linked to the drastic escalation of cases in Britain. While addressing the media, Puri even assured that the extension will be definite and will not be prolonged. This came after on December 21, the government had announced the temporary suspension of all flights connecting UK and India from December 23 to December 31 in the wake of the new strain.

“I foresee a slight extension of temporary suspension of India-UK flights,” the minister told a press conference before adding, “In the next day or two, we will find out if any additional steps need to be taken, or when we can start easing the current temporary suspension."

Moreover, India's External Affairs Ministry had previously suspended the Vande Bharat Mission in the United Kingdom due to the new strain of COVID-19 that was detected in the country earlier this month and currently raging havoc. MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had said that due to the emergence of the new variant of the virus in the UK, flights operating under the Vande Bharat Mission to and from the country have been temporarily suspended. 

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson informed the public about the new COVID-19 strain on December 2 and imposed a harsher lockdown in the country to contain the spread. Johnson even announced the stricter curbs in the southeast of the country, where the new strain is being frequently detected among people. 

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Centre Issues New SOP For Fliers From UK

Meanwhile, in the wake of the unrest caused by the drastic spread of new COVID-19 strain in the UK, the Union Health Ministry on December 22 issued a Standard Operating Procedure for surveillance as well as the response in the context of the variant of Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. According to the statement published on the official website and shared on Twitter, the Health Ministry has said in the fresh guidelines that passengers who had arrived in India from November 25 to December 8 will be contacted by the respective District Surveillance Officers and are advised to self-monitor their health.

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