Coronavirus: India suspends all tourist visas till April 15 due to COVID-19 risks

India is set to close its doors to foreign tourists from Friday with a Group of Minister deciding to suspend all tourist visas till April 15.

“All existing visas, except diplomatic, official, UN/International Organisations, employment, project visas, stand suspended till April 15, 2020. This will come into effect from 1200 GMT on 13th March 2020 at the port of departure,” the Union Health Ministry said in a statement issued after a second emergency meeting of the Group of Ministers on COVID19.

Among the novel coronavirus affected individuals in India are a group of 16 Italian citizens who are now at an isolation ward of a private hospital in Gurgaon. Also last week, an American tourist reported positive in Bhutan after he travelled extensively in India.

“Visa-free travel facility granted to OCI (Overseas Citizens of India) cardholders is kept in abeyance till April 15, 2020. This will come into effect from 1200 GMT on 13th March 2020 at the port of departure,” it added.

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India's decision to lock out the foreign tourists and OCI cardholders is endorsed by the GoM, chaired by the Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and attended by the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar among others.

Any foreign national who intends to travel to India for a compelling reason now would have to contact the nearest Indian Mission, seeking special exemption.

All incoming travellers, including Indian nationals, arriving from or having visited China, Italy, Iran, Republic of Korea, France, Spain and Germany after February 15, 2020, shall be quarantined for a minimum period of 14 days. This will also come into effect from 1200 GMT on 13th March 2020 at the port of departure.

Meanwhile, the Union Home Ministry on Wednesday transferred some of its power to the Union Health Ministry for tackling the COVID-19 if the outbreak turns out to be a disaster of national proportions. For any type of natural disaster, it is the responsibility of the National Disaster Management Authority to deal with such functions.

The power transfer would allow the Union Health Ministry to act as “coordinating and monitoring body for disaster management”; to prepare a national plan to deal with the emergency and “coordinate and monitor the implementation of the National Policy.”

The Disaster Management act now lists 17 such areas of responsibility that would now come under the Union Health Secretary who will take charge of such responsibilities from March 17 onward.