Extend ban on flights from UK: Kejriwal

Calling the Covid-19 situation in the UK “extremely serious”, Kejriwal demanded that the ban on India-UK flights be extended till January 31.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday urged the Centre to consider extending the ban on flights from the United Kingdom, amid rising concerns over a mutant strain of the Sars-Cov-2 virus in India.

The Centre partially lifted the ban and resumed India to UK flights from January 6.

The Centre partially lifted the ban and resumed India to UK flights from January 6. The first flight from the UK, after the ban was lifted, will arrive in India on January 8.

Calling the Covid-19 situation in the UK “extremely serious”, Kejriwal demanded that the ban on India-UK flights be extended till January 31.

“Centre has decided to lift the ban and start UK flights. In view of the extremely serious COVID situation in UK, I wud urge central govt to extend the ban till 31 Jan,” he said in one tweet.

In another tweet, the CM said: “With great difficulty, people have brought Covid-19 situation in control. UK’s COVID situation is very serious. Now, why lift ban and expose our people to risk?”.

With the Central government going ahead with its decision to allow flights from the UK to arrive in India, Delhi chief secretary Vijay Dev issued an order on Thursday asking all stakeholders concerned in the city administration, as well as the police and airport authorities, to strictly follow the standard operating procedures (SOP) issued by the Centre. “Passengers testing positive shall be isolated in an institutional isolation facility coordinated by the state health authorities. Those who are found negative on testing at the airport would be advised quarantine at home for 14 days,” read SOPs by the Union health ministry.