14 Apr 2021 | 08:31 PM UTC
Iran: Authorities suspend flights with France due to COVID-19 concerns effective April 14, resume flights with the UK /update 37
Iran suspends flights with France from April 14 until further notice due to COVID-19 activity; flights with the UK resume.
Event
Authorities in Iran suspended flights to and from France effective April 14 until further notice amid concerns of heightened COVID-19 activity in that country. The suspension of flights with France coincides with the resumption of flights with the UK. Flights with Botswana, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Iraq, Estonia, Ireland, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Slovakia, South Africa, and Zambia also remain banned until further notice.
The Iranian Ministry of Health has imposed business and transport restrictions in most of the country April 10-20 as part of ongoing efforts to curb the country's fourth wave of COVID-19. Nonessential businesses and facilities, including schools, theaters, and sporting facilities, have been shut down in 23 provinces. Officials are also banning travel to and from high-risk areas for the 10-day period. Furthermore, nonessential public gatherings will remain banned nationwide during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Authorities in Iran use a four-tier, color-coded system for tracking COVID-19 activity by individual localities and assigning restrictions accordingly. Municipalities may be designated as blue, yellow, orange, or red zones in increasing order of virus transmission threat. As of April 14, Tehran and more than 257 other cities and towns are at the red level following surges in cases. In red cities, only essential services such as food providers and medical centers are allowed to open. Travel into and out of these cities is banned. In municipalities at the yellow and orange levels, most shopping malls are allowed to open and government offices may operate at reduced capacity. Educational institutions and places of worship, however, remain closed.
As concerns domestic travel, a nightly 21:00-03:00 traffic ban remains in place nationwide. Safe-distancing guidelines restrict the passenger capacity on domestic flights to 60 percent.
With regard to international travel, Iran's land border crossings with Iraq, including the Mehran border crossing in Ilam Province, as well as all crossings in Kermanshah, Khuzestan, and West Azerbaijan provinces, remain closed. The land border closures do not apply to commercial transport.
International flights remain operational; however, authorities are not issuing tourist visas, effectively banning all leisure travel to the country. All travelers to Iran must submit a negative result from a COVID-19 test taken within 96 hours before boarding. Citizens who have not taken the test are required to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival at a government-designated site at their own expense. Foreign nationals arriving without a negative COVID-19 test will be denied entry. Additionally, travelers from designated high-risk countries must take a second test upon arrival and quarantine for 14 days.
Iranian authorities could reimpose, extend, further ease, or otherwise amend any restrictions with little-to-no notice depending on disease activity over the coming weeks.
Advice
Follow all official instructions. Abide by national health and safety measures. Reconfirm all business appointments and travel arrangements. Consider delaying traveling if experiencing symptoms associated with COVID-19, as they may prompt increased scrutiny and delays. Liaise with trusted contacts for further updates and guidance. Ensure contingency plans account for further disruptive measures or extensions of current restrictions. Reconsider and reconfirm nonemergency health appointments. Plan for queues and delays at available shopping centers.
