India bans all international flights for one week from March 22

The Government of India on Thursday announced a ban on all international passenger flights for a week with effect from March 22, in a bid to check the spread of novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.

An official statement said that no scheduled international commercial passenger aircraft shall be allowed to land in India from March 22 for one week.

It also directed all citizens aged above 65 years to stay at home. Similarly, all children below 10 years of age should be advised to stay at home and not to venture out, added the statement.

Railways and civil aviation shall suspend all concessional travel except for students, patients and handicapped category, it said, adding that states were being requested to enforce work from home for private sector employees except those working in emergency/essential services.

In a bid to reduce crowding inside government ministries and departments, the statement said that 50 percent of Central government employees will attend offices on alternate week and their timings would be staggered while another half work from home.