Canada extends ban on flights from Pakistan and India

Canada has extended its ban on passenger flights from Pakistan and India by 30 days. Till June 21, as part of a campaign to fight Covid-19, Minister Omar Alghabra said on Friday.

Alghabra said Canada had seen “a significant reduction” in coronavirus infections. Among arriving airline passengers since Ottawa first announced the bans on April 22. The move does not affect cargo flights.

“These ongoing measures will remain in place to help protect Canadians. Also, to manage the elevated risk of imported cases of Covid-19 and variants of concern,” he told a briefing.

As vaccinations pick up across Canada, the number of daily new cases has dropped by 25%. Since last week and it now averages around 5,000, deputy chief public health officer Howard Njoo told the briefing.

Canada has so far recorded a total of 25,111 deaths from Covid-19 and more than 1.3 million cases overall.

The ban on Indian and Pakistani flights is part of a series of restrictions Canada has imposed to lower the transmission of the virus, including curbs on non-essential travel across the long land border with the United States.

Also, read the sanctions Pakistan imposed previously.

Canada said on Thursday that the measure first applied in March 2020. It would be extended by another month to June 21. Government officials said they were in no hurry to open up travel across the border, citing the need to protect public health.

Ontario, the most populous of the 10 provinces, announced on Friday that it would begin administering second doses of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine after earlier halting rollout due to concerns about rare blood clots.

The province has tens of thousands of AstraZeneca doses set to expire at the end of May.