All domestic, international flights to remain suspended till May 3: DGCA

Last week, national carrier Air India had stopped bookings for domestic and international flights till April 30 while IndiGo, SpiceJet and GoAir were taking bookings for domestic flights starting April 15.

India has allowed countries like the US, UK and Germany to conduct special flights during the lockdown to take their citizens back home. Air India has also extended its services to countries such as Germany, UK and France to facilitate the return of their citizens.

India suspended domestic and international commercial passenger flight operations from midnight on March 24 for 21 days in sync with the nation-wide lockdown. However, cargo flights, medical evacuation flights, offshore helicopter operations and flights specially permitted by the aviation regulator DGCA have been operating during this time period.

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had on April 3said that airlines can take domestic bookings after April 14 if the 21-day lockdown is not extended further.

Meanwhile, the Indian Railways also suspended all passenger trains till May 3 after the prime minister’s address. The railways said no advance booking of train tickets will be allowed till further notice. “Resumption of train services may be warranted… Keeping in view emergent situation,” it said.

The prime minister Tuesday extended the lockdown till May 3 saying there will be strict enforcement of lockdown till April 20 and there could be relaxation in some areas if the situation improves.

He, however, did not reveal an economic plan or package for the country despite repeated pleas from chief ministers for urgent measures that could help states tide over the current gloom. He said the government would on Wednesday publish a detailed document with guidelines on how to go about the battle against the pandemic.

After April 20, there will be graded relaxations in areas based on the epidemiological assessment – incidence of the outbreak and the intensity, PM Modi said, adding that restrictions could be reimposed later if there were any fresh cases of COVID-19 found in these areas.

Here’s a quick Coronavirus guide from Express Explained to keep you updated: What can cause a COVID-19 patient to relapse after recovery? | COVID-19 lockdown has cleaned up the air, but this may not be good news. Here’s why | Can alternative medicine work against the coronavirus? | A five-minute test for COVID-19 has been readied, India may get it too | How India is building up defence during lockdown | Why only a fraction of those with coronavirus suffer acutely | How do healthcare workers protect themselves from getting infected? | What does it take to set up isolation wards?

From the homepage

How will the US government shutdown impact immigrants and visa holders?

Sonam Wangchuk is not a terrorist, says Rajasthan MP after being turned away from Jodhpur prison gate

Haryana Congress has a new chief, but guess who is looming over him? Bhupinder Hooda