India said on Tuesday it was likely to extend a ban on flights to and from the UK as it and other nations consider measures to contain the spread of a new variant of coronavirus that was first detected in Britain.
The government of India suspended UK flights on 22 December in a travel ban that was to run until at least 31 December.
“I foresee a slight extension of the temporary suspension. I don't expect that extension to be a long or indefinite extension," India’s civil aviation minister, Hardeep Singh Puri told reporters.
His comments came as India confirmed six cases of the new variant, which the UK government has said it believes to be up to 70 per cent more transmissible than earlier variants.
Many countries have enacted a similar travel restrictions, with the Philippines announcing a new ban on travellers from not just the UK but 18 other countries where the new variant has been detected, effective from 29 December to 15 January. The countries include Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
South Africa reimposed a ban on alcohol sales and ordered the closure of all bars, in order to battle the new variant. The country has extended its night-time curfew by four hours, requiring all residents to be home by 9pm.
Australia on Tuesday recorded its first case of the coronavirus variant originating in South Africa. The patient had travelled overseas and arrived in Queensland on 22 December. Authorities are monitoring all the passengers aboard the inbound flight with the person infected.
The Netherlands has so far identified 11 cases of the British variant of coronavirus. The government has also made it mandatory for those reaching the country to reproduce Covid-19 negative test results.
