Daijiworld Media Network - Ottawa

Ottawa, Apr 23: All passenger flights from India and Pakistan to Canada has been suspended on Thursday, April 22 for 30 days, transportation minister of Canada Omar Alghabra announced, citing increased Covid-19 cases detected in travelers arriving from these countries.

"Given the higher number of cases of Covid-19 detected in air passengers arriving in Canada from India and Pakistan... I am suspending all commercial and private passenger flights arriving in Canada from Indian and Pakistan for 30 days," Alghabra told a news conference.

"This is a temporary measure, while we assess the evolving situation and determine appropriate measures going forward," he added. The restriction will go into effect at 11:30 pm Eastern Time Thursday (0330 GMT Friday).

However, the ban will not apply to cargo flights, Alghabra said, particularly to ensure the continued shipment of vaccines, personal protective equipment and other essential goods.

On Thursday, India recorded a single day spike of more than 3,00,000 cases pointing the cause towards super spreader events, as well as 'double mutant' variant. Health Minister Patty Hajdu said that overall only 1.8 per cent of travelers to Canada have tested positive for coronavirus.

While India accounts for 20 per cent of recent air travel to Canada, more than half of all positive tests at the border were from flights arriving from the country, she said, adding that "a similarly high level of cases... have also been linked to Pakistan."

"It is a significant volume," she said, "and given the epidemiological situation in India, it makes sense to pause travel from that region while our scientists and researchers (try) to better understand this variance of interest, to better understand where the trajectory of the cases in that region are going."