As India continues to record cases of the new variant of the COVID-19, which reportedly emerged in the United Kingdom, the High Commission of India in the UK, on Thursday, extended the suspension of all Consular Services till January 8, news agency ANI reported. 

The Consular Services include passport, passport surrender, visa, OCI, Attestation etc.

In wake of the new COVID-19 variant, travel to and from the UK has been banned by many countries, including India and China.

The Delhi government has imposed night curfew from 11 pm to 6 am on December 31 and January 1 to avoid large gatherings during New Year celebrations due to COVID-19 and its highly transmissible UK strain.

The new strain is reportedly faster and more prone to infecting individuals than the original variant. Around six million people in the east and south-east England have joined many others into Tier 4 from December 26, the United Kingdom’s highest COVID-19 level restrictions, which includes a “stay at home” order.

In a move similar to England’s Tier 4 restrictions, Wales will be moving back into Level 4 measures which also means non-essential shops, gyms and beauty salons must close and bars and restaurants can only open for takeaways