India Suspends All Tourist Visas Till 15 April To Contain The Spread Of Coronavirus

In a bid to contain the spread of the deadly Coronavirus (Covid-19), the Union Government on Wednesday (11 March) suspended all the tourist visas till 15 April, reports News On AIR.

According to the report, the suspension of tourist visas will come into effect from 13 March.

The decision was taken at the sixth meeting of the group of ministers (GoM) held at New Delhi under the chairmanship of the Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.

“All existing visas, except diplomatic, official, UN/International Organizations, employment, project visas, stand suspended till 15th April 2020. This will come into effect from 1200 GMT on 13th March 2020 at the port of departure,” said an official release.

Visa-free travel facility granted to OCI card holders is also being kept in abeyance till 15 April.

Any foreign national who intends to travel to India for compelling reason may contact the nearest Indian Mission. All incoming 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, said the release.

The Centre has also advised the Indian nationals to avoid all non-essential travel abroad. On their return, they can be subjected to quarantine for a minimum of 14 days.

International traffic through land borders will be restricted to designated check posts with robust screening facilities. These will be notified separately by the Home Ministry, the release added.