A large percentage of people want suspension of flights with the UK: Survey

The survey, which interviewed 7000+ respondents in 203 districts, show about 50% asking for suspension of flights. However, about 41% want flights to continue with restrictions that include a mandatory 14-day quarantine for passengers arriving fro...

By Mihir Mishra, ET Bureau | Updated: Dec 21, 2020, 03.10 PM IST

As India discusses a possibility of banning flights from the UK in the light of a new fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus, a LocalCircles survey shows a large number of people want the government to suspend flights.

However, a similar number of people also want the government to continue with flights from the infected countries but with restrictions.

The survey, which interviewed 7000+ respondents in 203 districts, show about 50% asking for suspension of flights. However, about 41% want flights to continue with restrictions that include a mandatory 14-day quarantine for passengers arriving from infected countries.

India does not currently mandate quarantine norms in case the passenger has a COVID negative report from his arriving country as well as tests negative for COVID upon arrival.

Another 6% of the respondents seek no change in flights and continuation of flights from these countries.

Countries across Europe, which include The Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Germany and Switzerland, and Canada have banned travelers from the UK on Sunday, a day after the country ordered a wholesale lockdown on London and surrounding areas, citing concerns over spreading of the new variant of the coronavirus.

Countries like the US and India are still discussing the possibility of banning flight connections with the UK.

A senior Indian government official told ET that discussions are on. “Discussions are on… Let’s see,” the official said on a condition of anonymity.

This new strain of virus has come at a time, when the Indian government is planning to start normal international flights with COVID infections in the country on a declining trend and start of vaccination in the UK and the US. India has also announced that the vaccine will be available from January next year.

As new coronavirus strains emerge around the globe, here's all you need to know

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Viruses often acquire small changes of a letter or two in their genetic alphabet just through normal evolution. A slightly modified strain can become the most common one in a country or region just because that's the strain that first took hold there or because ``super spreader'' events helped it become entrenched. A bigger worry is when a virus mutates by changing the proteins on its surface to help it escape from drugs or the immune system.