The ban on flights from six cities of high Covid prevalence – Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Nagpur, Ahmedabad and Pune – to Kolkata has been extended till August 15, a Kolkata airport official said on Thursday the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport authorities said in a tweet
The official said the instruction came from the civil aviation ministry upon further request by the Government of West Bengal to extend the ban. The state government had also requested the centre to suspend all passenger flights’ movement on upcoming lockdown days in the state which the centre has already agreed.
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Past flight restrictions
Flights to Kolkata from the six cities were suspended on July 6, following a request from the Bengal government, because of a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases in these cities. The ban was till July 19 but was later extended till July 31. With no incoming flights, outbound flights to these cities were also cancelled by most airlines.
Covid-19 in Bengal
Over the last few weeks, West Bengal has recorded a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases it has added daily. On Thursday, the state’s Covid-19 case count shot up to 67,692 with a record 2,434 fresh cases, the state health department said.
With 46 new fatalities reported on Thursday, Bengal logged the highest number of single-day deaths till date, pushing the death toll to 1,536.
The number of active coronavirus cases currently stands at 19,900.
In the last 24 hours, 2,140 patients have recovered from the viral disease, improving the discharge rate to 68.33 per cent, according to the health department’s data.
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