Centre extends restrictions on flights between India-UK as new variant cases touch 150

The Union Government has extended the existing restrictions on flights between India and the United Kingdom till February 14 in view of the new COVID-19 variant. The government had lifted the ban on flight services between the two countries on January 7 allowing operations in a limited capacity. So far, 150 cases of the new COVID-19 variant, said to have emerged from the UK, have been reported in India. 

Announcing the resumption of services, Union Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had informed that 30 flights would operate including 15 each by carriers from India and the UK. Due to the rapid spread of the new Coronavirus variant, which is believed to infect individuals at a higher rate comparatively, the Centre had stopped flight services between the two countries. While the embargo was announced till January 31, it was later extended till January 6 as a preventive measure. 

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"It has been decided that flights between India and the UK will resume from January 8. Operations till January 23 will be restricted to 15 flights per week each for carriers of the two countries to and from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad only," civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri had said in a tweet.

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Virus variant spread to 70 countries: WHO

On Friday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the new COVID-19 variant might be deadlier than the previous one. Citing a report, Johnson said that there is "early evidence" to suggest that the new mutated variant may be more deadly. Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that the new variant has spread to 70 countries, adding that the variant emerging from South Africa has spread to 31 countries. On the other hand, several vaccine manufacturers have assured that their COVID-19 vaccines will be effective against the new variant. 

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Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech - manufacturers of the Covaxin - have also claimed that their vaccine has been found effective against the virus strain emerging from the UK. Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, Bharat Biotech said, "Covaxin effectively neutralises UK variants of SARS-CoV-2 reducing the possibility of mutant virus escape". The pharmaceutical company also shared findings of its research which has been conducted by scientists of the National Institute of Virology. Covaxin has been developed by Bharat Biotech, in association with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and is currently being administered to Indian healthcare workers as a part of the government's immunization drive. 

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