Canada has banned all commercial and private flights from India and Pakistan for 30 days. The decision comes after the countries are observing an unprecedented spike in Covid19 cases. It is the longest country-specific ban Canada has imposed.
Canadian Transport Minister Alghabra said that a large number of passengers arriving from India and Pakistan have tested positive for the virus. In a news conference, he stated, “Given The higher number of cases of covid19 detected in air passengers arriving Canada from India and Pakistan…I am suspending all commercial and private passenger flights arriving in Canada from India and Pakistan for 30 days.”
However, given restrictions will not apply to cargo flights for the ensured shipment of vaccines, personal protective equipment, and other essential goods.
Patty Hajdu, the health minister of Canada said that only 1.8% of travelers arriving in Canada have tested positive for Covid. India constitutes 20% of the air travel and more than half of them have reported positive. Pakistan constitutes a ‘similarly high level’ of Corona-positive passengers arriving in Canada.
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It is a significant volume and given the epidemiological situation in India, it makes sense to pause travel from that region while our scientists and researchers try to better understand this variance of interest, and trajectory of cases in that region are going,” she added.
According to Health Canada data, in the past two weeks around 18 flights from Delhi and two from Lahore arriving in Toronto or Vancouver had at least one passenger on board who had contracted the coronavirus infection.
Meanwhile, other countries like UK, Singapore, and Australia has also banned flights from and to India amid the unfortunate Covid surge in the region.
India is suffering from a horrifying second wave of coronavirus and has reported a new double mutant variant of Coronavirus, which is more dangerous and infectious. Recently, the country has reported more than 3 lakh fresh cases in a single day.