Canada may extend airline ban on India and Pakistan
COVID-19 continues to spread in countries.
In late April, Canada suspended air travel with India and Pakistan due to the spread of COVID-19 there. Initially, the ban was to be in place until May 22, but it has become known that it may be extended as concerns persist about the Indian strain of the virus, which is considered more contagious.
"The Government of Canada is continuously monitoring and assessing the situation and may extend border restrictions to keep Canadians safe," Health Canada said.
Last week, Air Canada cancelled flights to India until June 22, assuming the flight ban would continue. However, as of now, the extension of the ban has not been confirmed.
"We continue to review the epidemiological situation worldwide and will adjust border measures as necessary," a Transport Canada spokesperson said.
Variant B.1.617, first discovered in India, is known as a "double mutant" because of a pair of mutations that allow it to avoid immune response and transmit more easily. Scientists are still determining how resistant it is to vaccines. BioNTech, which developed the vaccine with Pfizer, says it is confident that its drug is effective.
Variant B.1.617 is thought to be associated with a spike in cases in India. In late April and early May, the country recorded the highest daily number of infections in the world. In the past week, on average, about 4,000 people died in India every day from COVID-19. Pakistan, too, is now experiencing the third wave of the virus, but the daily number of infections and deaths there is lower.
This week, Canada's chief health officer, Dr. Teresa Tam, said variant B.1.617 has been identified in all 10 Canadian provinces, but did not say how many cases have been detected.
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