India shatters global record for daily cases
UAE SUSPENDS ARRIVAL FLIGHTS FROM INDIA FOR 10 DAYS
India yesterday recorded the world’s biggest daily rise in Covid-19 cases ever as a ferocious new wave overwhelms hospitals and crematoriums and prompts frantic cries for help on social media.
The 314,835 new cases topped a peak of 314,312 recorded in the US on December 21. Even at the height of its Covid-19 outbreak, the US only reported more than 300,000 cases on two days. India now has almost 16 million cases, the second-highest globally.
Death toll rises by 2,104
Another 2,104 people died in the space of a day, taking India’s death toll to 184,657, still trailing the US, Brazil and Mexico.
India has administered more than 132 million vaccine doses, but that covers only about 4.8 per cent of India’s population, according to Bloomberg’s vaccine tracker.
Departure flights from UAE will continue to operate
The UAE yesterday announced that starting Sunday all flights from India, except transit, will be suspended for 10 days, subject to review. Departure flights will continue to operate.
Passengers who transited through India in the last 14 days will also not be allowed entry into the UAE. UAE citizens, diplomatic passport holders and official delegations are exempt.
Indian Ambassador to the UAE Pavan Kapoor said: “We respect the decision of the UAE Government. We will continue to work with them closely in dealing with the pandemic.”
Singapore, Australia latest countries to restrict arrivals
Singapore yesterday announced a ban on visitors from India, while Australia said it will cut flights from India.
On Wednesday, Oman said it will bar entry to arrivals from India starting April 24.
The UK added India to its travel ban list on Tuesday and the US followed by advising its citizens to avoid all travel to India. Earlier this month, New Zealand temporarily suspended arrivals of its citizens and residents from India. Hong Kong also banned flights from India for 14 days starting Tuesday.
The UAE has suspended all passenger flights from India with effect from 11.59pm on April 24, authorities said yesterday evening.
The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA) have announced the suspension of all inbound flights for national and international carriers coming from India, WAM reported.
In a statement issued yesterday, the authorities said passengers coming from India through other countries must have stayed in those countries for not less than 14 days to be allowed to enter the country, as of 23.59 on April 24 for a period of 10 days that can be extended.
The travel ban includes inbound transit passengers with exception of transit flights coming to the UAE and heading to India.
The authorities confirmed that UAE nationals, diplomatic passport holders, official delegations, business flights, and golden residence visa holders are excluded from this decision, provided they follow certain precautionary measures.
The preventive measures for them include a 10-day quarantine period and PCR tests on arrival at the airport as well as on the fourth and eighth days after entering the country.
QR code for test report
Also, they must carry negative reports of PCR tests taken within 48 hours, (instead of 72 or 96 hours) prior to the departure from accredited laboratories that issue the QR Code for the original test reports.
This comes in response to the proactive precautionary and preventive health measures issued by all authorities concerned in the country to limit the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, the statement added.
Passenger flights from the UAE to India and cargo flights between the two countries will remain unaffected.
Affected passengers
The GCAA called on all travellers affected by the decision to follow up and communicate with the airlines to schedule their flights and to ensure their safe return to their final destinations without any delay or other obligations.
Affected customers should contact their travel agent or Emirates contact centre for rebooking options, Emirates said on its website.
“If a passenger’s flight has been cancelled they will be offered a refund or the option to rebook to a later date,” flydubai said in a statement to Gulf News.
Etihad said it is working closely with impacted guests to notify them of the changes to their itineraries. “Guests who have purchased their tickets through a travel agent are advised to contact the agency from which they purchased their ticket for assistance.”
Responding to the announcement of the travel curbs, Indian Ambassador to the UAE Pavan Kapoor told Gulf News: “We respect the decision of the UAE government. We will continue to work with them closely in the area of healthcare, including on dealing with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.”
Anil Punjabi, chairman, Eastern Region, Travel Agents’ Federation of India, said travel agents in India also received the notification.
“The travel and tourism sector in India have already been hit hard by the pandemic. Further flight suspensions are an additional blow,” Punjabi said.
UAE nationals, diplomatic passport holders, official delegations, business flights, and golden residence visa holders are excluded from this decision.