Air India Directs Crew to Stay Isolated at Layovers Amid Concerns Over New COVID Strain

• New strain of Covid: Air India has directed its crew laying at all domestic, international stations to remain isolated in their allocated rooms
• The Civil aviation ministry banned all flights arriving from the United Kingdom from December 22

New Delhi: Air India has directed its crew laying at all domestic and international stations to remain isolated in their allocated rooms for the complete duration of stay in view of the new strain of coronavirus.

According to a circular addressed to all pilots and cabin crew, the airline said that keeping in view the gravity of the situation, crew laying over at all domestic/international stations are directed to remain isolated and the directive is for the strictest compliance.

"As Britain battles a resurgence of the COVID-19 virus, there is disturbing news of the new mutated strain being upto 70 percent more contagious, as per some sources. South-East England and the city of London have been put under a strict 'stay-at-home' order as the virus spread has been termed to be 'out of control' and the situation declared to be 'alarming'," the circular read.

Just minutes after the Civil aviation ministry banned all flights arriving from the United Kingdom from December 22, the ministry has issued a circular stating that all passengers arriving from the UK on Monday and Tuesday will have to undergo mandatory RT-PCR test at airports in India.

The circular stated, "As a measure of abundant precaution, passengers arriving from the UK in all transit flights (flights that have taken off or flights which are reaching India before 22nd Dec at 11.59 pm) should be subject to mandatory RT-PCR test on arrival at airports."

On December 20, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson informed the public that a new variant of COVID-19 has been found in the United Kingdom.

"Given the early evidence we have on this new variant of the virus, and the potential risk it poses, it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you we cannot continue with Christmas as planned," he had tweeted.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)