India’s bar on passenger flights follows similar steps by several European countries on Sunday.

NEW DELHI — The Ministry of Civil Aviation has suspended all flights from the UK to India till December 31 in the wake of the new mutant strain of novel coronavirus.

The suspension will start with effect from 23.59 hours on December 22, 2020.

Consequently, all flights from India to UK shall also stand temporarily suspended during the period, said a Ministry tweet.

“Considering the prevailing situation in the UK, the government of India has decided that all flights originating from UK to India to be suspended till December 31, 2020 (23.59 hours),” the tweet read.

It added that as a measure of abundant precaution, passengers arriving from the UK in all transit flights should be subjected to mandatory RT-PCR test on arrival at the airports in India.

India’s bar on passenger flights follows similar steps by several European countries on Sunday.

Several European countries have barred passenger flights from the UK in the wake of the discovery of a new fast-moving strain of novel coronavirus in the country.

Austria, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands have stopped travel from the UK on Sunday, and France and Germany are considering similar moves, according to reports.

The development comes as millions of people in the UK began their first day of a newly-imposed lockdown even as Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, said the newly identified strain of was “out of control”.

Belgium has suspended flight and Eurostar arrivals from Britain from midnight local time on Sunday. Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, told a television channel that the ban would be in place for at least 24 hours.

The ban by the Netherlands, which came into effect from 6 a.m. local time on Sunday, would last till January 1.

Media reports suggested that Germany wants to ban all flights from the UK from midnight until January 6. Similarly, France is also considering suspending flights and trains from the UK. — IANS