Covid-19 Scare: After Netizens demand BAN on flights from China, Govt clarifies stand; says THIS

Amid increasing Covid-19 cases in China and simultaneously increasing the action of the Indian government, opposition party leaders have started demanding a ban on flights from China to India.  In response, the government sources claim that the central government has made no order to limit incoming flights from the nation where a surge of Covid cases has been detected, despite the opposition parties' growing calls to suspend all international flights from China immediately.

'We don't have any direct flights from China to India or from India to China, but as of now, there is no such order issued to stop connecting flights to India which are arriving via China. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is an executing ministry; the final decision will come from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW)," government sources told ANI.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to chair this afternoon a high-level meeting to review the Covid-19 situation and its related aspects in the county. In the last six months, India reported four cases of the BF.7 Omicron sub-variant, which is driving China's current surge of infections. According to the people aware of the matter, there are currently 10 different variants of Covid-19 in the country, with the latest being BF.7.

"Given the grave COVID-19 situation in China, the government must immediately ban all flights to and from China. Given the increase in the US, Japan, and South Korea and the potential for the emergence of a new lethal variant, India should think about restoring COVID-19 guidelines," Congress leader Manish Tiwari had tweeted.

On Wednesday, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya chaired a high-level meeting to review the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the country and the preparedness of the public health system for surveillance, containment, and management of the pandemic. He urged people to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and get vaccinated against Covid-19.

Also, after the meeting chaired by Mandaviya, Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, NITI Aayog, said that "there is no change with regard to aviation as of now."

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday called on China to share the data requested by the world health body to understand the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic better.

"We continue to call on China to share the data and conduct the studies we have requested and which we continue to request. As I have said many times before, all hypotheses about the origins of this pandemic remain on the table," he added. Tedros also expressed concern about the evolving situation in China, with increasing reports of severe disease.

"In order to make a comprehensive risk assessment of the situation on the ground, WHO needs more detailed information on disease severity, hospital admissions and requirements for intensive care unit support," the WHO chief said. 

(With ANI inputs)