The government of India has extended the flight ban on international flights till the end of August. According to several media reports, dedicated cargo flights will continue to operate.
Earlier the ban was supposed to end on July 31. But nearing the curb end, The Director-General of Civil Aviation decided the extension fearing the outbreak of third wave of pandemic in the country.
“International scheduled flights may be approved on selected routes by the competent authority on a case-by-case basis,” the DGCA said in its circular.
Earlier, United Arab Emirates (UAE) had announced that the flights will remain suspended between the two countries till August 2. Meanwhile, the Canadian government has extended the ban on flights from India till August 2021. The Canadian ban was supposed to end on July 21, however, nearing the end the ban was extended by a month.
On the other hand, India is trying hard to reduce travel restrictions for students enrolled in foreign universities.
Also Read: Travel restrictions being eased for Indian students by US, UK, Germany and others
Today, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan stated that "Travel restrictions for Indian students are being eased to many countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Georgia, and others. More countries are expected to open up as the Covid situation improves."
India on Friday recorded 44,230 new Coronavirus cases and 555 deaths in the last 24 hours. The total death toll in the country jumped to 4,23,217. The coronavirus caseload now stands at 3,15,72,344 crore.
As many as 42,360 patients recovered, pushing the total recoveries to 3,07,43,972, according to the Union Health Ministry. The national recovery rate is currently at 97.38%.
The total active Covid-19 cases in the country are 4,05,155 lakh, constituting 1.28% of total cases.
Covid vaccination administered 45,60,33,754 doses till now. A total of 51,83,180 doses were administered in the last 24 hours. A total of 18,16,277 samples for Covid were tested in the last 24 hours.