New Delhi: India became the latest country to close all its borders with the UK after Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Denmark, Bulgaria, the Irish Republic, Turkey and Canada suspended flights amid growing concerns of an ‘out of control’ new variant of coronavirus spreading at a much faster pace in parts of England.
The ban on flights from UK to India will come into effect from 22 December to 31 December.
“Considering the prevailing situation in the UK, Indian govt has decided that all flights originating from the UK to India shall be temporarily suspended till 11:59 pm, 31st December. This suspension to start w.e.f. 11.59 pm, 22nd December,” the Ministry of Civil Aviation tweeted.
The Ministry further added that passengers reaching India before 22nd Dec will be subject to mandatory RT-PCR test on arrival at airports.
Other countries and territories to announce restrictions on UK travel include Hong Kong, Israel, Iran, Croatia, Argentina, Chile, Morocco and Kuwait.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair a meeting of the government’s emergency committee on Monday to take stock of the situation as a huge backlog build up on the border with France after even trucks and ferries were blocked entry at the ports.
European Union (EU) member states are also due for a meeting in Brussels to discuss a more coordinated response as the number of coronavirus infections in the UK jumped to 35,928 on Sunday, down to the much faster spreading new mutation of the novel coronavirus, with the country’s death toll rising by 326 to hit 67,401.
“Everybody, particularly people in Tier 4 areas, needs to behave as if they might well have the virus – that is the only way we are going to get it under control,” UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said, adding that the situation is ‘deadly serious’ as the government tries to contain the rapid strain of an ‘out of control’ virus.
“This is a deadly disease, we need to keep it under control, and it has been made more difficult by this new variant,” he said.
The new variant is said to be 70 per cent more transmissible, though health experts say there is no evidence that it is more deadly or would react differently to vaccines.
PNN/Agencies
