Canada is extending its ban on arriving passenger flights from India to September 21 because of the risks posed by COVID-19, the federal transport ministry said in a statement on Monday. The ban was first imposed on April 22 and has already been extended several times. The measure does not apply to cargo flights or medical transfers.
Earlier, in its global travel advisory issued in July, the Canadian government continued to suspend India-Canada direct flights till July 21. However, Indian travellers who have to fly to Canada for any reason during this time will need an “indirect route” and must get tested first before they are allowed into that country. The Canadians currently refuse COVID-19 molecular test reports from India due to their strict new regulations on anyone trying to enter Canada with symptoms such as fever or coughs correlated with coronavirus.
As per the advisory, Indian citizens who have previously tested positive for COVID-19 and are travelling from India to Canada must now provide proof of a coronavirus test conducted between 14 to 90 days prior. They might need to stay in a third country for at least two weeks before continuing their journey to Canada.
Canada is closely monitoring this situation regarding possible global repercussions; however, Canada was not the first country to put travel restrictions on its citizens from visiting India. Many countries have restricted entry or transiting through their airspace if a passenger arrives from Indian soil, especially those whose COVID-19 test results came back positive during previous visits abroad. If a passenger test positive during transit, they might be quarantined or sent back to their point of departure.
“Based on the latest public health advice from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Transport Canada is extending the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) that restricts all direct commercial and private passenger flights to Canada from India until September 21, 2021, at 2359 hours EDT. All direct commercial and private passenger flights to Canada from India are subject to the NOTAM. Cargo-only operations, medical transfers, or military flights are not included.” the department said in a statement.
Official Press Release:
https://www.canada.ca/en/transport-canada/news/2021/08/transport-canada-extending-restrictions-on-direct-flights-from-india-until-september-21-2021.html
Tweet by Transport Minister of Canada:
On the other hand, UK has just removed India from their red list and put them in the amber list of countries! In other words, travel is now allowed with caution.
