Current affairs

Effect of COVID-19 mutant: India suspends flights to and from the UK! What you must know?

By alagu, 21 December, 2020
India, United Kingdom, COVID-19

As the sequel of the shocking emergence of a new mutation of the Coronavirus, that began haunting the United Kingdom, the Indian government has on Monday issued an order of suspending all flights originating from the European country to India as part of the precautionary measure to curb the spread of the mutant virus in the country, that had already witnessed and facing the adverse effect triggered by the COVID-19 outbreak. 

According to reports, the Central government has suspended all flights from the UK to India till 11.59 pm on December 31 and this suspension order would be taking effect from 11.59 pm on December 22 and people arriving in India directly from the UK or through the transit flights till December 22 will be subjected to a mandatory RT-PCR COVID-19 test on arrival at the Indian airports and the birth of the mutant could push several nations to more challenges amid battling the novel coronavirus. 

In its statement, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said that the flyers from the European country should mandatorily undergo the test at the airports before entering the country. Taking to Twitter, the Ministry said, "Considering the prevailing situation in the UK, Government of India has decided that all flights originating from the UK to India to be suspended till 31st December 2020 (23:59) hours".

The Ministry further stated, "This suspension to start with effect from 23.59 hours, 22 December 2020. Consequently, flights from India to the UK shall stand temporarily suspended during the above said period". "As a measure of abundant precaution, passengers arriving from the 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", the Ministry tweeted. 

The decision of the Indian government to suspend flights from the UK has come when nearly 27 countries, including France, Germany, and Canada, had suspended flights from the UK after the Kingdom has been brought under high alert and severe restrictions after becoming the epicenter for the mutant COVID-19 virus and the developments from the UK had shocked the world as the mutant virus has been reportedly spreading faster than the COVID-19, leaving the nations to worry and sounding an alarm to break the chain of the mutant at its early stage. 

The British Government has admitted the widespread of the mutant and issued a warning that the potent new strain of the virus is getting out of control in the country. The government has imposed a tight lockdown and issued a new stay-at-home order from Sunday even as the rest of the countries are suspending transportation services to and from the UK. According to reports, some of the European countries like the Netherlands had also banned ferry service to and from the UK. 

The Union Health Ministry of India had called an urgent meeting of its Joint Monitoring Group on Monday to discuss the emergence of the new strain in the UK, which had triggered a surge in the infection rate amid fighting COVID-19. Addressing the media on Monday, Union Health Minister Dr.Harsh Vardhan asserted that the government is fully alert and there is no need to panic and that the government had done everything that was important to handle the COVID-19 situation in the last one year. 

Taking to Twitter, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said, "We have decided to take all necessary precautions as a result of the situation arising out of the spread of a new strain of coronavirus in some countries. All flights originating from the UK to India will be suspended temporarily from 22 Dec to 31 Dec 2020". The Minister further stated, "In the interim, it has been decided that passengers arriving from the UK on all international flights (flights in transit) should be subjected to mandatory RT-PCR tests on arrival". 

"Those found positive on arrival should be sent for institutional quarantine set by the state and UT governments, in collaboration with the states/UTs concerned. Those found negative should be advised to isolate at home for 7 days & will be medically monitored by the States/UTs", the minister tweeted. Earlier, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had urged the Union government to ball all the flights from the UK immediately in view of the emergence of a mutated variant of the coronavirus. 

Taking to Twitter, the Delhi Chief Minister said, "New Mutation of COVID-19 virus has emerged in the UK, which is a super-spreader. I urge the Central government to ban all flights from the UK immediately". It must be noted that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had announced strict restrictions across London and south-east England from Sunday.

 

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