Before the complicated situation of the Covid-19 epidemic in Europe, the Indian government has taken strong measures not to accept all foreign travellers within the next 1 month.
According to the Guardian, this ban is valid even for foreigners of Indian origin. Exceptions only apply to cases of official passports, officials and employees of international organizations such as the United Nations.
Foreign travellers are subjected to mandatory isolation
Persons who enter India from Italy, Iran, China, South Korea, France, Spain and Germany after February 5 will be subject to mandatory isolation within 14 days. The move comes as the number of people infected with the corona virus in India reached 73 in March 11.
Last week, India suspended visas for citizens from China, South Korea, Italy, Iran and Japan but did not restrict tourists from other countries such as Germany and France, where there were hundreds of confirmed virus infection cases.
Indians who are planning their holidays abroad, or planning to meet their children studying abroad will have to cancel their plans. The government also requires people to avoid making unnecessary trips abroad.
The worst affected by the ban would be overseas Indian communities, especially in the US and Canada. Indigenous expatriates visiting their homeland account for 50% of the 10 million tourists who travel in India annually, mostly to meet relatives and attend weddings.
Many of these are recognized by the government as of Indian descent, can enter and leave the country without a visa, but they are also prohibited from entry under the latest rules.
India’s Ministry of Health feels it is necessary to strengthen the preventive measures because the average population density of the country is 420 people per square kilometer, much higher than the figure of 146 people per square kilometer of China.
The population density in big cities or in the state of Uttar Pradesh is much higher – causing concern that the virus could spread easily in the community.
India has confirmed 125 cases of Covid-19 and there are many mysteries about how the world’s second most populous nation copes with the disease. With a population of 1.3 billion, India is still relatively quiet, while outbreaks have flared up in Asia and Europe. That led to doubts about the disease situation in India.
