BackTrump wasn’t tested for Covid-19 in Feb: Govt tells Rajya Sabha
At the time of Trump’s visit, there was no requirement of mandatory COVID test for travellers from foreign countries, the MEA saysMuraleedharan also said that WHO had declared Covid-19 a pandemic only on 11 March
PremiumUS President Donald Trump and his team didn’t undergo any tests related to the novel coronavirus during their February visit to India, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said in Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
In a written reply in Rajya Sabha, the MEA said, “At the time of US President’s visit (24-25 Feb), there was no requirement of mandatory COVID-19 test for travellers from foreign countries."
The reason behind this, as Muraleedharan stated, was that the World Health Organisation (WHO) had declared Covid-19 a pandemic only on 11 March.
“The requirement of mandatory universal screening of all international passengers arriving in 21 airports in India for the COVID-19 virus was implemented by Government of India w.e.f 4 March this year," Muraleedharaan added.
Donald Trump’s India visit
Trump visited India on 24 February for two days accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump. During his visit, Trump had expressed hope that India and the US could reach a trade deal "that will be of great importance to both countries", and announced agreements for India to purchase over $3 billion in advanced US military equipment, including Apache and MH60 Romeo choppers.
“India is a tremendous country. The country is buying a lot of military hardware from the United States. It wants peace," Donald Trump said during his visit to India.
While addressing a press conference, Trump stated, “The United States has a great relationship with Pakistan. India is a brave country and I have a great relationship with both the leaders -- Pak PM Imran Khan and Indian PM Narendra Modi. PM Modi is a calm person but very strong, and has some strict opinions on terrorism. He will deal with it. Kashmir a thorn between Pakistan and India. There are two sides to every story."
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