The Union Health Ministry has announced that all existing visas – except diplomatic, official, UN/International organisations, employment and project visas, will be suspended till April 15, 2020. This will come into effect from 1200 GMT on 13th March 2020 at the port of departure, read a communique issued late Wednesday night after a meeting of a Group of Ministers headed by Health Minister Dr Harshvardhan.
Visa facilities had been partially suspended earlier from the COVID-19 nations, countries where the virus is on a rampage. The visa decision was reached following a meeting of ministers led by Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, the statement read.
The government communique that announced the suspension of visas last evening, also said that Visa free travel facility granted to OCI card holders is kept in abeyance till April 15th, 2020. This will come into effect from 1200 GMT on 13th March 2020 at the port of departure.
Foreign nationals who plan to travel to India for compelling reasons can contact their nearest Indian mission, the statement said. Foreigners already in India with valid visas are unaffected by the new requirements.
Separately, India’s Bureau of Immigration said that all visas and e-visas granted to French, German and Spanish nationals before Wednesday and who have not yet entered India stand suspended with immediate effect.
And Italian, Iranian, South Korean and Japanese nationals who have visas issued before March 3rd who have not yet entered India remain suspended. Visas granted to Chinese nationals before February 5th also continue to be suspended, the statement read.
After the visa announcement, national carrier Air India said it was temporarily suspending flight services to Rome, Milan and Seoul, the Press Trust of India reported.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the novel Coronavirus a pandemic, meaning a disease that has spread worldwide and affected huge number of people. In a series of tweets, the WHO said it was deeply concerned both by the alarming levels of spread and severity (of the virus), and by the alarming levels of inaction.
The 14-day quarantine
All travellers, including Indian nationals arriving from or having visited China, Italy, Iran, Republic of Korea, France, Spain and Germany after February 15 will be quarantined for a minimum period of 14 days, the statement read.
The number of COVID-19 cases in India – which has a population of 1.3 billion has doubled to 73 in the past four days, increasing public fear and the government’s state of alert. Many of the cases have been blamed on Indians who have travelled or worked in badly hit countries in Europe and the Middle East.
The government also strongly advised Indians against non-essential foreign travel, warning that they can be subjected “to quarantine for a minimum of 14 days.
