Canada extends ban on India flights till June 21

The ban on Indian flights is part of a series of restrictions Canada has imposed to lower the transmission of the virus.

Canada has extended its ban on passenger flights from India and Pakistan by 30 days to June 21 as part of a campaign to fight Covid-19, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said on Friday. Alghabra said Canada had seen "a significant reduction" in coronavirus infections among arriving airline passengers since Ottawa first announced the bans on April 22 as the number of cases in India soared. The move does not affect cargo flights.

"These ongoing measures will remain in place to help protect Canadians and to manage the elevated risk of imported cases of Covid-19 and variants of concern," he told a briefing. As vaccinations pick up across Canada, the number of daily new cases has dropped by 25 per cent since last week, and it now averages around 5,000, deputy chief public health officer Howard Njoo told the briefing.

The central province of Manitoba has been badly hit by a third wave of the virus, recording the highest rate of infections in all of Canada in the past seven days. Premier Brian Pallister said he asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday to supply critical care nurses, respiratory therapists and contact tracers. Pallister said Trudeau indicated he would provide all the support he could.