Canada extends ban on flights from India until Aug 21 due to Delta COVID variant fears

Ottawa: The Canadian government has extended the prohibition on direct flights from India by another 30 days. The ban was set to expire on July 21, but will now remain in place until August 21.

It is the fourth time the ban has been extended since it was first imposed on April 22 due to fears in Canada over the devastating second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and concerns over transmission of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.

A release issued on Monday from Health Canada noted that the extension of the ban was “based on public health advice”.

Canada has also extended the requirement related to third-country pre-departure Covid-19 tests for travellers to Canada from India via an indirect route.

Passengers from India connecting at another point of departure for Canada will require a mandatory pre-departure negative RT-PCR test before continuing their journey to the Canadian destination.

That announcement came even as Canada announced a slew of measures relaxing travel restrictions to the country. On September 7, if “domestic epidemiologic situation remains favourable”, Canada will open its borders “to any fully vaccinated travellers who have completed the full course of vaccination with a government of Canada-accepted vaccine at least 14 days prior to entering Canada and who meet specific entry requirements”.

As a first step in this direction, fully vaccinated American citizens and permanent residents will be allowed to enter the country for non-essential travel on August 9, as long as they have completed their inoculations at least 14 days prior to entering Canada.

Fully vaccinated travellers will also not require a post-arrival test from August 9, while those not fully vaccinated, unvaccinated or vaccinated with jabs not recognised by Canadian health authorities, will continue to be tested.

Starting on the same day, the Canadian government is eliminating its mandatory three-day quarantine requirement at a designated hotel while awaiting results of the test. Vaccinated travellers will be exempted from any requirement for quarantine, but others will have to provide a quarantine plan.

The vaccines authorised for emergency use in Canada are those made by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca (Covishield), and Johnson & Johnson.

India had recently petitioned the Canadian government to scrap the bar on direct flights, with India’s high commission in Ottawa sending a letter in this regard to Global Affairs Canada, the country’s foreign ministry.

“Canadians’ safety and security always come first. With rising vaccination rates and fewer cases in Canada, we can begin to safely ease border measures. A gradual approach to reopening will allow our health authorities to monitor the Covid-19 situation here and abroad,” Canada’s minister of health Patty Hajdu said.