In view of the rising coronavirus cases, Canada has extended its ban on passenger flights from India and Pakistan by 30 days to June 21, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said on Friday.
Omar Alghabra said that Canada had seen "a significant reduction" in coronavirus cases among arriving airline passengers since Ottawa first announced the ban on April 22. However, the move has not affected cargo flights.
Also Read | Second Wave of Coronavirus in India: PM Narendra Modi a ‘super-spreader’ of COVID-19, says IMA Vice President
The Transport Minister said that these measures will remain in place to protect Canadians and to manage the risk of imported cases of Covid-19 and variants of concern.
Also Read | Mucormycosis: AIIMS director lists three key factors to prevent ‘black fungus’ infection
Amid the COVID-19 vaccination in Canada, the number of daily new cases has dropped by 25 percent since last week. It is now around 5,000, said deputy chief public health officer Howard Njoo.
So far, Canada has recorded a total of 25,111 deaths from Covid-19 and more than 1.3 million cases.
The ban on flights from India and Pakistan is part of restrictions imposed by Canada to lower the transmission of the virus.
Ontario, the most populous of the 10 provinces, on Friday announced that it would start administering second doses of AstraZeneca Inc's Covid-19 vaccine.
Click here to follow PTC News on Twitter
-PTC News