THE eastern Indian state of West Bengal on Thursday (30) imposed a ban on all international flights coming from the UK to Kolkata, the state capital, from January 3 in the wake of a sudden rise of Covid cases in the state which is home to 90 million people.
The state government said the suspension order will remain in effect until further orders, the Hindustan Times reported.
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Passengers arriving in the state from other non-at-risk countries by flights will have to compulsorily undergo a test on arrival at their own expenses.
“The airlines will randomly select 10% of the passengers for RT-PCR test and the balance 90% shall undergo Rapid Antigen Test at the arrival airport,” the state government’s new directive for international passengers said.
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The Covid-19 situation in Bengal deteriorated suddenly with the capital emerging as a zone of concern. On Wednesday (29), Kolkata reported 540 cases, half of the state’s overall 1,089 cases.
“Most omicron cases are being detected among people coming on flights from the UK. It’s a fact that the Omicron carriers are coming via international flights. The Centre must decide on imposing restrictions on flights from countries where omicron cases are high,” Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said as she visited a Hindu pilgrimage centre located in the southern part of the state.
“The Centre is only worried about Ganga Sagar. They should think of Kumbh Mela. We can't stop people coming to Ganga Sagar Mela from UP, Bihar and other parts of the country. Those who come here will follow Covid-19 protocols,” she said, taking a dig at the Narendra Modi government in New Delhi over last year’s Kumbh Mela which saw a massive spike in cases.
On Wednesday, the chief minister held a review meeting and asked the officials to assess the state’s Covid situation. She said schools and colleges could be closed in case the surge continues but added that economic activities would also have to be secured.
On Thursday, she ruled out imposing a Covid-like situation in the state. "I would like to tell you that there will not be any lockdown in the state right now. During Covid, everything was stopped and it led to a situation where the common people were the worst sufferer. The government doesn’t want to walk on the same path again," she said, according to a report from Indo-Asian News Service.
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