Canada has extended the ban on direct flights from India and Pakistan by one more month until June 21 in a bid to arrest the spread of new variants of the COVID-19.
Cargo flights, however, will be permitted in order to maintain shipments of essential supplies, such as vaccines and personal protective equipment. the Minister of Transport is of the opinion that it is necessary for aviation safety and the protection of the public.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said that the restriction was put in place “based on public health advice to reduce the importation risk of COVID-19 and its variants. Dr Howard Njoo, Canada’s deputy chief public health officer, said that travel restrictions are important given that roughly 70 per cent of new coronavirus cases in Canada are variants of concern.