7 in 10 Indians want govt to shut all flights from China as Covid surges

New Delhi, Dec 21: As the sudden Covid surge in China has brought back fears of the pandemic, 7 in 10 Indians on Wednesday said all flights from China should be stopped and the government should prohibit entry (mandatory quarantine) for anyone who has been in China in the last 14 days.

Currently flights from mainland China to India are through other countries while direct flights run from Hong Kong to India.

The Covid virus, via its sub variant BF.7, is back and is currently causing havoc in China.

After China eased restrictions post many protests in the country, it is experiencing a massive surge in Covid cases overwhelming hospitals like never before.

According to a survey by social community engagement platform LocalCircles, 71 per cent of citizens said India should suspend flights from China as well as prohibit entry (mandatory quarantine) for anyone who has been in China in the last 14 days.

Around 16 per cent respondents said the government should only suspend flights from China and let passengers who have been in China during the last 14 days come in via other countries with a negative Covid test report.

Some global epidemiologists are estimating that more than 60 per cent of China and 10 per cent of the world's population are likely to be infected over the next 90 days with deaths likely in the millions. The survey findings indicated that the majority of the citizens (87 per cent) are in favour of shutting all direct and indirect flights from China.

Witnessing the sudden rise in the new Covid infection, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reviewed the Covid-19 situation in the country on Wednesday. The Centre has also asked the states to ramp up the whole genome sequencing of positive cases to track the new variants.