West Bengal suspends all flights from UK from January 3 to curb COVID-19 spike

Following an unexpected increase in the numbers of COVID-19 cases in the state, the West Bengal government has announced a ban on all international flights from the United Kingdom to Kolkata, effective from January 3.

According to the administration, the suspension order would stay in effect until further directives are issued. Passengers flying to West Bengal from other non-at-risk nations will be required to undergo a pre-arrival test at their own expense.

According to the government’s new international passenger policy, “The airlines will randomly pick 10% of passengers for RT-PCR testing, and the remaining 90% will undergo Rapid Antigen Testing at the arrival airport.”

The COVID-19 situation in West Bengal dramatically deteriorated, with Kolkata becoming as one of the most concerning districts. On Wednesday, Kolkata reported 540 new cases, bringing the total number of illnesses in the state to 1,089 in total.

“Most Omicron cases are found among passengers arriving on planes from the United Kingdom. The Omicron carriers do, in fact, arrive on international planes. The Centre must decide on imposing restrictions on flights from countries where omicron cases are high,” Mamta Banerjee said as she has visited the Sagar Island in South 24 Parganas.

“The only issue that concerns the Centre us the Ganga Sagar. They should remember the Kumbh Mela. We can’t stop people from coming from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and other country regions to attend Ganga Sagar Mela. Those who come here will adhere to the COVID-19 guidelines,” Mamata remarked.

Mamata convened a review meeting on Wednesday and requested authorities to analyse the state’s COVID-19 issue. If the spike still continues, Banerjee says schools and institutions may be forced to close. The CM stated that containment zones would be marked once more in Kolkata. Local train decisions are also in the works.