India has decided to push back the resumption of scheduled international flights until the end of January 2022 over fears about the Omicron strain of the coronavirus. In a circular published on Thursday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that flights will remain suspended, pushing back a long-awaited restart.
India’s flight bubbles with 32 countries, including the latest Switzerland, will continue unabated despite the suspension. In November, the Indian DGCA announced that it would resume international flights from December 15, 2021. Now, with the country on high alert over Omicron, they have cautiously decided to postpone international flights from countries that are not in the travel bubble. To protect the country from COVID-19, India initially suspended international flights on March 23, 2020.
India travel bubble international flights will continue
For now, at least, the expensive travel bubble flights will remain the only option for Indians wanting to travel overseas. The resumption of regular international flights will depend mainly on the global situation regarding COVID-19 and the Omicron variant.
In a statement carried by The Times of India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said:
“This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by DGCA… international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on case to case basis.”
While deferring the December 15 reopening, the DGCA had said:
“In view of the evolving global scenario with the emergence of new variants of concern, the situation is being watched closely in consultation with all stakeholders, and an appropriate decision indicating the effective date of resumption of scheduled commercial international passenger services shall be notified in due course.”
India has a travel bubble that allows flights from 32 countries
Countries included in India’s air bubble include the United Arab Emirates, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. By having the travel bubble, Indian’s can circumnavigate the restrictions by connecting through a country that they are allowed to fly to.
Passengers arriving in India from Europe (incl. the United Kingdom), South Africa, Brazil, Botswana, China, Ghana, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Hong Kong, and Israel have to be tested for COVID-19 when they arrive in India. Even if they test negative, they are then required to self-isolate for seven days and watch their health from day eight until they have been in the country for two weeks.
India has 25 people infected with the Omicron strain
So far, nine people out of the 25 detected with the Omicron strain of the virus in India had no foreign travel history, with 14 of those infected being fully vaccinated. According to reports published in The Indian Express, all infected people display mild symptoms.
India has said that it will soon begin testing its Covaxin and Covishield (AstraZeneca) vaccines to determine how they work against Omicron.
When speaking about what it plans to do, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) chief, Dr. Balram Bhargava said:
“We have at this moment, in India, seen 25 cases of Omicron. NIV Pune has got samples from these individuals. We are trying to grow the virus, inoculate it in the culture medium so that it grows. Once we grow the virus, we will be able to test in the laboratory, and then we will test the efficacy of both Covaxin and Covishield. This work has started, and we are trying multiple cultures to grow the virus.”
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