Following a rise in India's Covid numbers, Kuwait suspends commercial flights from India
A patient suffering from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) waits to get admitted outside the casualty ward at Guru Teg Bahadur hospital, amidst the spread of the disease.
Kuwait's directorate general of civil aviation said early on Saturday in a tweet that it had suspended all direct commercial flights coming from India, effective April 24 and until further notice.
The move was on the instructions of health authorities after an evaluation of the global coronavirus status. All passengers arriving from India either directly or via another country will be banned from entering unless they have spent at least 14 days out of India, the statement said.
Kuwaiti citizens, their first-degree relatives and their domestic workers will be allowed to enter. Cargo is unaffected.
Kuwait is not the first country to impose travel restrictions on India. This past week Singapore health ministry also said that it will not allow entry to long-term visa holders and short-term visitors with recenttravelhistory toIndia, which is battling a second wave of COVID-19 infections.
The government saidtravelrestrictionswithIndiawill help curb potential cases in the dormitories because many of the labourers arrive from the South Asian nation.
On April 22, Australia has also announced that it will reduce the number of its citizens able to return fromIndiaand other red zone countries to contain the risk of more virulent strains of COVID-19, the government. These changes will affect direct flights fromIndiato Sydney and chartered flights that land in the Northern Territory.
Indonesia has also stated that it will stop issuing visas for foreigners who have been inIndiain the past 14 days to prevent the spread of different coronavirus strains. Indonesians arriving fromIndiawill be allowed to enter, however, but must follow stricter health protocols and quarantine.