Canada Has Extended The Flight Ban With India & Has New Rules For Travellers From Pakistan
Here's what you need to know.
On Monday, June 21, Canada announced several updates to COVID-19 measures surrounding international travel. During the update, Minister Omar Alghabra announced the extension of Canada's India flight ban.
Alghabra said the flight ban between India and Canada has been extended for 30 days and will now be in place until July 21.
"This means that direct, commercial and private passenger flights from India will continue to be denied permission to arrive in Canada. Passengers who depart from India bound for Canada via an indirect route must still obtain a valid COVID-19 test result from a third country before boarding a flight to Canada," he explained.
The official also shared that the flight ban between Canada and Pakistan will not be extended. As flights resume, "air travellers from Pakistan will be required to obtain a COVID-19 molecular test in Pakistan to board a flight to Canada," said Alghabra.
The Beginning Of The Flight Ban
Direct flights to Canada from India and Pakistan were originally banned on April 22, 2021. This measure was put in place due to a COVID-19 variant of concern, the B.1.617 variant, which was being called a "variant of interest" at the time.
The original flight ban was set for 30 days and, as of today, it has been extended three times for India and twice for Pakistan. While the measures between Canada and Pakistan have been relaxed, the ban between Caanda and India has been extended.
The ban pertains specifically to direct passenger flights. In the case of indirect flights, passengers who depart from India on indirect routes need to obtain a negative COVID-19 pre-departure test at their final place of departure.
During today's announcement, the minister noted that border measures will continue to be adjusted as needed "to keep Canadians safe and the economy running."