As India goes under a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19, the government has banned air, rail and road travel from March 25, 2020. This ban, as of now, will be in place till midnight of March 31. The government has ordered all commercial flights domestically as well as banned the entry and exit of international flights. Air travel is suspended under the Aircraft Act, 1934.
Additionally, railways, inter-state buses and metros in the cities have been shut. The lack of trains and inter-state buses mean that many labourers and marginal workers are stuck in cities and can&rsquot travel to their hometowns. The travel restriction is not levied on cargo carriers goods trains and flights will still continue to operate so as to not disturb the distribution of essential goods in the country.
75 districts in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have issued a complete lockdown after reporting confirmed cases of novel coronavirus. As of now, India has reported 562 cases of the disease, 9 deaths and around 40 cases of recovery. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation, stated that many Indians are not taking the lockdown seriously and urged citizens to &ldquosave yourself, your family (and) follow the instructions seriously&rdquo.
Limiting the number of travellers, both internationally and domestically, could make a drastic difference in the number of cases and break the transmission of the disease. Readers can check websites like FlightRadar24 to track the airspace and monitor the number of flights in each country.
