Amid the new strain of the Novel Coronavirus, flight services between the United Kingdom (U.K.,) and India resumed from the 8th of January.
After the U.K., discovered the new COVID-19 strain, which is 70 % more dangerous, the Union Civil Aviation Ministry suspended flights between India and the U.K.
The ban on flights were in effect from the 23rd of December till the 7th of January.
However, from Friday, the 8th of January flights resumed with 256 passengers from the U.K., who landed in Delhi.
The 256 passengers in an Air India flight from the U.K., travelled to New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport.
While flight services from the U.K., to India started from today, services from India to the U.K., resumed from the 6th of January.
As per the Central Government’s directions, 30 flights would operate in a week, 15 from India to the U.K., and 15 vice versa.
This functioning would continue till the 23rd of January.
The decision to remove the ban is likely to be taken after the World Health Organization (WHO) statement on the new mutant variant of the virus.
A few scientists of the WHO said, “There is no evidence to show that the mutant virus is deadlier.”
Dr. Michael Ryan, the Chief of the WHO Emergencies, said, “There’s zero evidence that there’s any increase in severity of COVID-19 from the latest strain.”
However, as a precautionary measure, several nations imposed a travel suspension from the U.K., and vice versa.
Strict guidelines were also imposed to prevent the spread of the new COVID-19 strain.
In India, all the passengers from the U.K., who are scheduled to arrive between the 8th of January and the 30th of January would be subjected to a self paid COVID-19 test.
In addition to this, the passengers are also required to carry COVID-19 negative reports from a test done 72 hours before their journey and quarantine for 14 days even if they test negative for the Novel Coronavirus on arrival.
The functioning of the aviation services including number of flights in operation for the U.K., would be reviewed after the 30th of January.
Meanwhile, in India so far 83 U.K., returnees tested positive for the new strain of the Novel Coronavirus infection.
Stay tuned for further updates.
