Flight restrictions will be lifted only when COVID-19 is fully under control, says aviation minister

Union Civil Aviation Minister, Hardeep Singh Puri, recently announced that restrictions on domestic and international flight operations will be lifted only after Coronavirus transmission in India is fully under control.

These Restrictions will be lifted once we are fully confident that the spread of the virus has been controlled & it poses no danger to fellow Indians. I thank everyone for their cooperation & help in these testing times.

Together we shall overcome & emerge stronger.

— Hardeep Singh Puri (@HardeepSPuri) April 8, 2020

Puri also expressed remorse for the people who have been facing difficulties after the suspension of domestic and foreign flights such as NRIs and international tourists stranded in India.

On March 25, India suspended the operations of all domestic and international flights as a preventive measure to control the spread of COVID-19 disease. Prior to this, the central government had cancelled all the international flights to stop the transmission of the virus.
Meanwhile, offshore helicopter operations, cargo flights, medical evacuation flights and other special flights have been functioning to support the nation during the 21-day lockdown.

Today, Odisha had extended the lockdown in the state till April 30, while Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh had sealed their major COVID-19 hotspots till April 15 to control further spread of the virus. On the other hand, state government of Karnataka and Maharashtra are seriously thinking of extending the lockdown for more weeks to control the crisis. The worst hit state remains Maharashtra for now with about 1000 cases reported of COVID-19 .