‘Why are we delaying?’: Kejriwal urges PM Modi to stop flights from countries with Omicron variant

“Many countries have stopped flights from countries affected by the Omicron variant. Why are we delaying? In the first wave, too, we had delayed stopping flights. Most international flights come to Delhi, and so it is the worst affected. PM sir, please stop flights immediately,” Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.

कई देशों ने ऑमिक्रान प्रभावित देशों से आने वाली उड़ानें बंद कर दी हैं। हम देरी क्यों कर रहे हैं? पहली वेव में भी हमने विदेशी उड़ानें रोकने में देरी कर दी थी। अधिकतर विदेशी उड़ानें दिल्ली में आती हैं, दिल्ली सबसे ज़्यादा प्रभावित होती है। PM साहिब कृपया उड़ानें तुरंत बंद करें https://t.co/A3a1QKz7pz

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) November 30, 2021

On Sunday, the Delhi CM had written to Modi, requesting him to stop flights from affected countries.

“Our country has fought a tough fight against Corona for the last one and a half years. With great difficulty and due to selfless service of millions of our Covid warriors, our country has recovered from Corona. We should do everything possible to prevent the new variant of concern, recently recognised by WHO, from entering India. A number of countries, including the European Union, have suspended travel to the affected regions. I urge you to stop flights from these regions with immediate effect. Any delay in this regard may prove harmful, if any affected person enters India,” he had written.

Since being first detected in South Africa, Omicron—which has been classified as a variant of concern—has now spread to several countries, including Germany, Italy, Belgium, Israel, Hong Kong, Australia. Many nations have banned travel to and from South Africa and neighbouring countries.