In a bid to contain the spread of Coronavirus, India has suspended all tourist visas till April 15th.
Important things to know:
- The suspension includes tourist visas, student visas as well as the visa-free entry of OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cardholders.
- Holders of diplomatic, official, UN/international organisations, employment and other visas are exempted from this ban.
- The travel ban will come into effect on 13 March 2020.
- Apart from the travel ban, India has also issued a fresh advisory for its nationals living in India and abroad.
- The advisory discourages Indians from all non-essential travel abroad as they run the risk of being quarantined upon their return.
According to the statement issued by Ministry of Health, ‘All incoming travellers, including Indian nationals, arriving from or having visited China, Italy, Iran, Republic of Korea, France, Spain and Germany after 15 February 2020 shall be quarantined for a minimum period of 14 days.’
India’s travel ban was announced on the day the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the spread of coronavirus to be a global pandemic.
Presently, the total number of confirmed cases in India is 68, with new cases reported in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Kerala and Karnataka.
