Coronavirus: India suspends visas for nationals of Italy, Iran, Japan, South Korea
By Newsmeter Network Published on 3 March 2020 2:02 PM GMT
New Delhi: In a fresh travel advisory released by the ministry of family and health welfare on 3 March, all regular visas, including e-visas, granted to nationals of Italy, Iran, South Korea, and Japan have been suspended. Visa on arrival (VoA) for nationals from Japan and South Korea have also been suspended with immediate effect, in the wake of the Corona virus (COVID-19) outbreak. Visas granted to Chinese nationals were suspended earlier on 5 February.
The ministry further said that both Indian and foreign passengers arriving directly or indirectly from 14 countries, including China, South Korea, Japan, Iran, Italy, Hong Kong, Macau, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand, Singapore, and Taiwan, have to undergo medical screening at the time of entry.
In case of any emergency or “compelling reason” to travel to India, passengers from these countries will have to seek a fresh visa from the nearest Indian embassy or consulate. For diplomats, officials of the UN and other international bodies, OCI (overseas citizenship of India) cardholders, and aircrew from the above countries are exempted from the restrictions.
The advisory further said that Indian citizens should refrain from travelling to countries like Italy, Iran, South Korea, China, and Japan. Passengers travelling to India from abroad have also been asked to furnish self-declaration forms and travel history to health and immigration officials at all ports and airports.
For queries related to health, people may call +91-1123978046, a 24x7 control room number of the ministry of health
An Italian national tested positive for COVID-19 in Rajasthan on 2 March, while two others from Delhi and Telangana have also tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of Corona virus cases to six.
According to the World Health Organisation, more than 90,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed globally, while the number of deaths has been confirmed to be more than 3,000.
