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UAE tightens rules for fliers, charter flights from India

Arrivals must also take a PCR test after landing in the country followed by two other PCR tests on the fourth and eighth day of their isolation period, reports Asian Lite News

The UAE has imposed new coronavirus measures for charter flights arriving from countries including India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Nepal and Uganda.

Passengers must wear tracking devices for a minimum of 10 days in a new circular from the General Civil Aviation Authority.

Those who arrived in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al-Khaimah, have already been given the devices, travel agencies and charter flight operators confirmed.

Abu Dhabi has also been requiring arriving passengers to wear the devices during their 14-day home quarantine, since September of 2020.

Arrivals must also take a PCR test after landing in the country followed by two other PCR tests on the fourth and eighth day of their isolation period.

In Dubai, travelers have to isolate for 10 days and undergo a PCR test, Raheesh Babu, group COO of Musafir.com, an internet travel agency, said.

Crew members operating from the listed countries are also required to abide by the new regulations.

UAE suspends arrivals from 4 countries
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Passengers must also quarantine in a hotel during the transit period, and are only allowed movement when transferring between the hotel and the airport, without being in contact with people in the UAE community, the circular said.

Meanwhile, the UAE has allowed entry to those people from India who held ‘silver’ residency permits in the country. Earlier, only UAE nationals, diplomats and golden visa holders were allowed entry. The operator claimed such silver residency permit holders would need to wear wristband trackers. However, the entry exemption for silver residency permit holders has not been confirmed by the UAE media or airlines.

Last September, the Abu Dhabi government made it compulsory for people arriving in the emirate to wear a wristband tracker during their 14-day quarantine. The wristbands are linked to the AlHosn app for tracing and tracking of Covid-19.

The extension of the ban on fight operations to India by the General Authority of Civil Aviation is in view of the prevailing situation due to COVID-19. The ban is applicable to major UAE carriers Emirates and Etihad.

The ban was initially imposed on April 25, after a surge in COVID-19 cases in India and later extended to June 30. The extension of the ban on the entry for travellers from India has disappointed Non Resident Indians (NRIs) working in the seven emirates, their families, and transit passengers moving via the hubs in the UAE.

Exemption has been given to cargo flight operations between two countries. Foreign carriers operating to India have scaled down the inbound flights, as those coming will not be able to return to the UAE.

Hundreds of Non Resident Keralites working in the U.S. and the U.K. and their families, students who had gone abroad for higher studies, and others will have to wait to fly via the hubs in the UAE. Those returning to the U.S. and Europe are now moving through Mumbai and Delhi international airports and other hubs.

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Emirates extends ban on flights from India till June 14

However, Emirates says it will continue to operate outbound commercial passenger flights from the UAE to India, reports Asian Lite News

Dubai-based carrier Emirates has confirmed on Sunday that its flights from India to the UAE will remain suspended until June 14, 2021.

However, the airline will continue to operate outbound commercial passenger flights from the UAE to India.

It added that passengers who have transited through India in the last 14 days will not be accepted to travel from any other point to the UAE.

Emiratis, holders of UAE Golden Visas and members of diplomatic missions who comply with the published Covid 19 protocols will be exempt for travel, it said in a statement carried on its website.

UAE suspends arrivals from 4 countries

For those whose tickets have been cancelled as a result of the decision, the airline said that they can keep their ticket for a future flight with a validity of up to 36 months. This option is available to those who booked their ticket before April 1, 2021 for travel on or before December 31, 2021. All tickets issued from April 1, 2021 will be automatically valid for travel for 24 months.

Traveller can also request a refund or rebook their ticket for another date by contacting their booking office.

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Emirates had first suspended commercial passenger flights from India starting April 24.

Starting May 12, and in line with UAE government directives, Emirates also suspending the carriage of passengers from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to Dubai, until further notice. Passengers who have connected through Pakistan, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka in the last 14 days will not be accepted to travel from any other point to the UAE.

Two weeks ago, Emirates has set up a humanitarian airbridge between Dubai and India to transport urgent medical and relief items.

Emirates offered cargo capacity free of charge on all of its flights to nine cities in India to help international NGOs rapidly deliver relief supplies. Emirates SkyCargo has already been transporting medicines and medical equipment on scheduled and charter cargo flights to India.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates’ Chairman and Chief Executive, in a statement, said: “India and Emirates are deeply connected since our first flights to India in 1985. We stand with the Indian people and will do all we can to help India get back on its feet. Emirates has a lot of experience in humanitarian relief efforts, and with 95 weekly flights to nine destinations in India, we will be offering regular and reliable widebody capacity for relief materials. The International Humanitarian City in Dubai is the largest crisis relief hub in the world, and we will work closely with them to facilitate the movement of urgent medical supplies.”

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Australia halts flights from India

Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced the decision due to the steep hike in Covid cases in India…reports Asian Lite News

Australia has suspended flights from India in response to the country’s Covid-19 outbreak.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Tuesday that all flights from India to Australia will be halted until May 15 at the earliest, the Xinhua news agency reported.

He said that indirect flights through other cities were suspended by their governments, and repatriation flights run by the Australian government aimed at getting Australian residents and citizens stranded in the country home would resume as soon as possible.

“We don’t think the answer is to just forsake those in India and just shut them off,” Morrison told reporters after a meeting of the National Security Committee.

Marise Payne, the minister for foreign affairs, said that there had been an increase in the number of Australians in India registering to come home with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

“When I spoke to the High Commissioner this morning we touched on this challenge (of people wanting to return),” she said. “They are all over India, literally in every single corner of the country.”

“That does make the process challenging but we will stay in touch with them and provide any support we are able to.”

Australia will send ventilators, masks, goggles, gloves and face shields to India to help the country fight its record-breaking outbreak.

Also read:Australian cricketers may leave IPL early

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Bangladesh closes border with India

Many countries including Germany, Iran, UK, Canada, Hong Kong, and the UAE have already blocked flights from India….report Asian Lite News

Bangladesh has decided to close its border with India for the next 14 days following a sharp rise in the country’s COVID-19 cases and deaths.

A ban on entry from India has been imposed in line with the instructions of the prime minister’s office, Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told Dhaka Tribune on Sunday.

On Thursday, a proposal to shut down borders with India was rejected at an inter-ministerial meeting.

Due to massive surge in COVID-19 numbers, India has been witnessing shortage of hospital beds and medical-grade oxygen for past few days.

Several countries around the world including Germany, Iran, UK, Canada, Hong Kong, and the UAE have suspended passenger flights from India.

Asaduzzaman KhanMinster, Ministry of Home Affairs; Govt. of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh(Twitter)

India recorded 3,49,691 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day spike since the pandemic broke out last year. According to the Union Health Ministry, the country has recorded 2,767 new deaths due to COVID-19 in the last 24 hours.

The country’s total infection count has mounted to 1,69,60,172 cases, while 1,92,311 people have so far succumbed to the viral infection so far. There are 26,82,751 active COVID-19 cases in the country, said the official data of the ministry.

Mushtuq Husain, former Chief Scientific Officer of the Institute of Epidemiology and Disease Control, had earlier suggested imposing institutional quarantine requirements on arrivals from India.

He also said, “If the border cannot be closed completely, then those who come from India should be kept in a 14-day institutional quarantine. There is no alternative.”

He noted that most of incoming travellers from India are citizens of Bangladesh and they cannot be stopped by shutting down the border.

“But they must get their samples tested 72 hours in advance (of travelling). They must carry a coronavirus-negative certificate and quarantine upon arrival. If possible, everyone should be kept in institutional quarantine. If that is not possible, we must ensure that they quarantine at home.”

Mushtuq, however, played down concerns over the coronavirus variant that is running rampant across India and said that it has not yet been proven to be more harmful than other strains.

Also read:India pushes for trilateral highway via B’desh

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Canada bans flights from India

The ban which takes effect at 11.30 p.m. (0330 GMT Friday), does not affect cargo flights…reports Asian Lite News

Canada’s government said that it would temporarily bar passenger flights from India and Pakistan for 30 days starting on Thursday as part of stricter measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

The center-left Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acted after prominent right-leaning politicians complained Ottawa had not done enough to combat the third wave of infections ripping through Canada, the Geo TV reported.

Also read:Covid surge: India on UK’s red list

The ban, which takes effect at 11.30 p.m. (0330 GMT Friday), 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 ability of crumbling health services to cope.

Canadian Health Minister Patty Hajdu said that while Indian citizens accounted for 20 per cent of all international arrivals, they represented over 50 per cent of the positive tests conducted by Canadian airport officials.

“By eliminating direct travel from these countries, public health experts will have the time to evaluate the ongoing epidemiology of that region and to 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.

Health worker collect swab sample testing for Covid-19 at CP in new Delhi on Monday March 22, 2021.(Photo:Wasim Sarvar/IANS)

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said that Canada would not hesitate to bar flights from other nations if needed.

Britain said earlier that India would be added to its “red-list” of locations from which most travel is banned due to a high number of Covid-19 cases.

In addition, France is imposing a 10-day quarantine for travelers from Brazil, Chile, Argentina, South Africa and India, while the UAE has suspended all flights from India.

Also read:More travel miseries as UAE suspends flights from India

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Singapore shuts door to Indian visitors

This move takes effect from 11.59 p.m. on Friday, and includes people who have prior approval to enter Singapore,said Education Minister Lawrence Wong…reports Asian Lite News

All long-term pass holders and short-term visitors who have travelled to India within the last 14 days will not be allowed to enter or transit through Singapore, as the country goes on “heightened alert” against Covid-19.

This move takes effect from 11.59 p.m. on Friday, and includes people who have prior approval to enter Singapore, said Education Minister Lawrence Wong on Thursday (April 22), the Straits Times reported.

In addition, people who have recently travelled to India and have not completed their 14-day stay-home notice (SHN) by 11.59 p.m. on Thursday night will have to complete their additional seven-day SHN at a dedicated facility rather than their places of residence.

This group will undergo three polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the virus: when they arrive, on the 14th day of their SHN and before the end of their SHN.

Explaining why Singapore has tightened its border measures, Wong said that the situation in India has worsened since the start of the week.

He added that the SHN period is not “100 per cent foolproof”, noting that any leaks among newly arrived Indian workers could possibly introduce new strains into dormitories and result in new clusters.

India reported 314,835 new Covid-19 cases on Thursday, the world’s biggest single-day surge. The country has recorded 16 million cases and 184,657 deaths so far. A new “double-mutant” variant has also emerged in India, and is thought to be fuelling the country’s second wave.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) also confirmed on Thursday that 17 recovered workers at Westlite Woodlands dormitory were found to have Covid-19, although there is no evidence that these cases were linked to India or to the new viral strain that has emerged there.

Also read:Covid surge: India on UK’s red list

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, who with Wong co-chairs the multi-ministerial task force handling the pandemic, said that Singapore is on heightened alert against the coronavirus, given rising case numbers and emerging virus variants around the world.

The situation may escalate quickly, necessitating the tightening of measures in Singapore, he added at a virtual press conference.

Viral variants – including those first detected in South Africa and Brazil – have been found in 342 imported cases, said the Health Ministry’s director of medical services, Associate Professor Kenneth Mak. All the cases were isolated on arrival and no community spread has been detected.

He warned that this number may increase over time as more Covid-19 cases are detected and more testing done.

Gan urged Singaporeans to continue to be socially responsible and adhere to safe management measures.

This applies to those who have already been vaccinated as well, he said. “The recent spate of cases has reminded us that we cannot let our guard down.”

“We are facing an invisible and very formidable enemy,” Wong said, adding that the spate of new strains detected in other countries is a worrying development.

“Perhaps after this round of vaccination, we might have to continue with further rounds of vaccination,” he said. “Even up to beyond this year, because we will have to be confronting not just the virus today, but potentially new strains of the virus that maybe more infectious and virulent.”

Also read:More travel miseries as UAE suspends flights from India

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HK to halt flights from India,Pakistan

The decision came hours after city officials confirmed a second local Covid-19 case involving a mutated strain of the virus…reports Asian Lite News

The Hong Kong government has announced its decision to ban commercial passenger flights from India, Pakistan and the Philippines for 14 days from Tuesday as these countries were “extremely high-risk for Covid-19”.

The announcement on Sunday came hours after city officials confirmed a second local Covid-19 case involving a mutated strain of the virus, reports the South China Morning Post newspaper.

According to the announcement, anyone who has spent more than two hours in those three countries have also been banned from entering Hong Kong.

People already in quarantine in Hong Kong from those three nations will be ordered to take an additional test on the 26th day after arriving in the city.

Also read:Hong Kong okays Sinovac’s vaccine for emergency use

Health officials had earlier decided to ban Cathay Pacific’s Manila flights, and India’s Vistara services from Mumbai, for two weeks until May 2 after a number of passengers were found to be Covid-19 positive upon their arrival in Hong Kong.

According to the South China Morning Post report, a Vistara flight from Delhi which arrived in Hong Kong on April 4 is now at the centre of a growing coronavirus outbreak with 47 passengers on the 188-seater flight infected.

The route, however, was subsequently banned for two weeks after a number of passengers arrived with Covid-19.

On Sunday, Hong Kong registered 30 new Covid-19 cases, of which 29 of were imported.

The new infections took the the total case tally to 11,683, with 209 deaths.

Also read:The new US strategy to edge out China

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B’desh halts flights from Europe

The two-week ban will come into effect on Saturday and last until April 18….reports Asian Lite News

Bangladesh has imposed a temporary ban on travellers from Europe and 12 other countries after reporting a surge in coronavirus infections.

The two-week ban will come into effect on Saturday and last until April 18, dpa news agency reported on Friday citing a statement from the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) as saying.

CAAB said air passengers from the UK, where infection rates are generally lower than on mainland Europe, would still be allowed to enter the country.

Along with European nations, Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Chile, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Peru, Qatar, South Africa, Turkey, and Uruguay are also among the banned nations.

Airlines operating scheduled passenger flights from all those countries will be allowed to carry only transit passengers.

Passengers from other countries must still adhere to a 14-day home quarantine.

Bangladesh has so far reported 611,295 coronavirus cases, with 9,046 deaths since the South Asian country registered the first cases in March 2020.

With many flouting the current health guidelines, the government on Tuesday issued a new set of rules, including the mandatory use of face masks and limiting passengers on local transport.

The country reported a single-day record number of infections, 5,358, on Wednesday.

Also read:Protest in Brussels to mark ‘B’desh Genocide Day’