India bans all flights from UK till December 31, amid concerns over 'new COVID-19 strain'

Taking pre-emptive action against the new Coronavirus (COVID-19) strain, the Civil Aviation Ministry on Monday, announced that all flights originating from the UK to India shall be temporarily suspended till 11:59 PM, 31 December. The suspension will start w.e.f. 11.59 pm, 22 December and passengers arriving prior to that will be mandatorily tested. The British Prime Minister - Boris Johnson is scheduled to arrive in India as the Republic Day chief guest on January 26, 2021. Currently, India has not resumed all its international flight travel, preferring a bubble arrangement with certain countries.

CMs Kejriwal & Gehlot urge Centre to ban flights from UK amid fears over new Covid strain

Civil Aviation Ministry bans all UK flights

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CMs urge Centre to ban UK flights

On Monday, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said that the Government of India should take immediate steps by banning flights to and from UK in order to prevent the new strain of virus transmission in India.  However, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has said that the Central government is on alert and there is no need to panic. The Centre's COVID-19 team held a review meeting regarding the newly found COVID-19 strain, as Italy reported its first COVID-19 positive case from the new strain - a couple who had travelled from the UK.

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New strain of Coronavirus in UK

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock on Monday had announced that scientists have identified a new variant of the COVID-19 virus which could spread faster than the previous strain. Based on preliminary modelling data, the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) now consider that the new strain can spread significantly more quickly and could increase R by 0.4 or more. Johnson's CMO Chris Whitty on Saturday said that the United Kingdom has already informed the World Health Organisation (WHO) about the new strain of the COVID-19 virus. 

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Meanwhile, European Union (EU) experts believe that the existing COVID-19 vaccine candidates against the novel coronavirus are also effective against the new strain that is rapidly spreading across the Uk except Northern Ireland. German Health Minister Jens Spahn told public broadcaster ZDF that based on the knowledge the authorities have so far about the variant, the new strain “has no impact on the vaccines” because they remain “just as effective”. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced 'Tier 4' restrictions in several cities due to the rapid spread of a new variant of the COVID-19 virus.