24 Apr 2021 | 04:05 PM UTC
Iran: Authorities to suspend flights to and from Pakistan and India from April 25 due to COVID-19 concerns /update 38
Iran to suspend flights to and from India and Pakistan from April 25 due to COVID-19 concerns. Other restrictions remain in place.
Event
Authorities will suspend all flights to and from India and Pakistan from April 25 due to COVID-19 concerns. Iran currently restricts travel to and from approximately 41 countries.
International travel
International flights remain operational but limited. Authorities are not issuing tourist visas.
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.
Restrictions are in place for travel to and from Iraq via land border crossings. Restrictions do not apply to commercial transport.
Domestic measures
Facemasks are mandatory in enclosed public spaces and on public transportation. In Tehran facemasks are compulsory in public areas.
Officials have imposed restrictions on business activity and transport in places. Authorities previously banned nonessential public gatherings 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 dozens of 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 21:00-04:00 traffic ban remains in place nationwide. Safe-distancing guidelines restrict the passenger capacity on domestic flights.
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
Liaise with trusted local contacts for further information on travel area-specific restrictions. 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.
