Canada to suspend flights from India, Pakistan over COVID-19 fears
Canada's government said it would temporarily bar passenger flights from India and Pakistan for 30 days starting on Thursday (Apr 22) as part of stricter measures to combat the spread of the corona virus. The centre-left Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acted after prominent right-leaning politicians complained Ottawa hadn't done enough to combat a third wave of infections ripping through Canada.
The ban, which takes effect at 11.30pm, does not affect cargo flights. India on Thursday recorded the world's highest daily tally of 314,835 COVID-19 infections amid fears about the power of crumbling health services to deal. Canadian Health Minister Patty Hajdu said that while Indian citizens accounted for 20 % of all international arrivals, they represented over 50 % of the positive tests conducted by Canadian airport officials. "
Through the elimination of direct travel from these countries, public health authorities will have enough time to judge the ongoing epidemiology of this region and reassess the situation," she told a news conference. The conservative premiers of Ontario and Quebec - the most populous of Canada's 10 provinces - wrote to Trudeau earlier on Thursday urging him to crack down on international travel.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said Canada wouldn't normally hesitate to bar flights from other nations if needed. Britain said earlier that India will be added to its "red-list" of places from which most travel is banned due to a higher number of COVID-19 cases. Furthermore, France is imposing a 10-day quarantine for travelers from Brazil, Chile, Argentina, South Africa and India, as the United Arab Emirates has suspended all flights from India.
