Canada bans flights from India, Pakistan amid Covid surge

Canada has banned all flights from India and Pakistan for 30 days due to the growing wave of Covid-19. The ban came on a day India recorded world's biggest spike in infections with over 3.15 lakh new cases. Transportation Minister Omar Alghabra announced the ban citing increased Covid-19 cases detected in travelers arriving from these countries. The ban will not apply to cargo flights, the govt said, particularly to ensure the continued shipment of vaccines, personal protective equipment and other essential goods.

While India accounts for 20% of recent air travel to Canada, more than half of all positive tests at the border were from flights arriving from the country, the health ministry said.