India Suspends All UK Flights From Tuesday Night Till December 31 Over Concerns of New Strain of Coronavirus; Those Arriving Till Tuesday Night to Undergo Mandatory RT-PCR Test at Airport

New Delhi, December 21: India on Monday suspended all flight services to the United Kingdom (UK) amid reports of a new strain of coronavirus in the European country. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) said that all flights originating from the UK to India would be suspended till December 31, 2020. The suspension of flights will start with effect from 11:50 pm on December 22.  The flights from India will also remain suspended during the same period. No Evidence That New Variant of Coronavirus More Deadly, Says WHO Official.

Passengers arriving from the UK will have to undergo necessary RT-PCR test for COVID-19. The Ministry said, “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 December 22 at 23.59 hrs) should be subject to mandatory RT-PCR test on arrival at the airports concerned.” Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday clarified that there is no need to panic as the government is alert on the issue.

Tweet by MoCA:

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on December 19 made the announcement about the new variant of the Sars-Cov-2, saying it has spread rapidly in parts of the country, and was estimated by scientists to be 70 per cent more transmissible. Less than 24 hours after the announcement, the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Austria and Italy have suspended flights from the UK.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 21, 2020 03:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).