BackCoronavirus: India cancels valid visas to Chinese, foreigners who visited China
The Indian Embassy in Beijing has made it clear that all existing visas are no longer validMore than 20,000 people have so far been affected by the virus in China which has spread to 25 other countries
PremiumNEW DELHI : After three confirmed cases of the deadly coronavirus were reported from India, the Ministry of External Affairs has cancelled valid visas issued earlier to all Chinese and other foreigners who went to China in the last two weeks. The Indian government had earlier temporarily suspended all e-visas issued to holders of Chinese passports and applicants of other nationalities residing in China.
"Embassy and our Consulates have been receiving several queries from Chinese citizens as well as other foreign nationals, who are based out of China or visited China in the last 2 weeks, as to whether they can use their valid single/multiple entry visas to travel to India. It is clarified that existing visas are no longer valid," the Indian Embassy in Beijing said on Twitter.
It has also asked all those who are already in India (with regular or e-visa) and had traveled from China after January 15 to contact the health ministry's helpline.
More than 20,000 people have so far been affected by the virus in China which has spread to 25 other countries. In India, three coronavirus cases have so far been confirmed, all of them from Kerala. China has so far reported 425 deaths due to the virus.
The Indian government has evacuated 647 Indians and seven Maldivians from Wuhan and Hubei province. They have now been kept under 14-day quarantine at a medical camp in Manesar, near Delhi. The Air India crew onboard the two evacuation flights have been sent on a week-long leave.
India has already issued a new travel advisory urging everyone to refrain from travelling to China, saying travellers on return could be quarantined.
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This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
