Canada has extended the travel ban from India to the country by another month till July 21, an official release has said.
The country had banned flights from India since April 30 due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation in the country.
Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, Bill Blair, made the announcement on Twitter saying: “Our number one priority as we fight #COVID19 is keeping Canadians safe.”
Effective July 5 at 11:59 PM ET, fully vaccinated Canadian Citizens, Permanent Residents, and other groups currently permitted to enter Canada will be exempt from mandatory quarantine and day 8 post-arrival testing for #COVID19. pic.twitter.com/3jFcbKGfSu
— Bill Blair (@BillBlair) June 21, 2021
Travellers from India may still be able to come to Canada. However, they will have to travel via an indirect route, and will need to get a COVID-19 test from their last point of departure. This means that they will need to have a long layover in a third country.
Meanwhile, the Canadian government announced a loosening of Covid-19 travel restrictions for fully vaccinated people amid warnings that a return to a completely open border will take a while longer.
BCCL
It said that international students in Canada will still be able to enter the country with a valid visa, despite the extension of its border closure.
Though Canada is no longer processing study permit applications for the fall 2021 semester, international students in Canada who submitted their application by May 15 will receive approval (or otherwise) by August 6.
Canada recognizes four vaccines right now: Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson and Johnson.
Reuters
The future of students and those working abroad have been a matter of concern for India as many countries have banned travellers from the country.
While some of the countries have allowed those who are fully vaccinated to travel to the country, the limited vaccinations in the country among the 18-44 age group meant that many who had plans to go abroad for studies or work are yet to be vaccinated.
Adding to this is the issue of Covaxin, the indigenous COVID-19 that has been administered to a large section of the recipients.
BCCL
Unlike Covishield, Covaxin is yet to get an emergency use authorization from the WHO, meaning that many countries do not recognize it.
Given this predicament, many states have announced that they will prioritize those travelling abroad for studies or work for vaccination and they will be given Covishied jabs.
