Coronavirus has been declared an emergency health hazard by WHO (World Health Organisation). China has already confirmed 361 deaths due to this virus. Worldwide, countries have reported confirmed cases from their territories also.
India has today reported the third confirmed case of the dreaded coronavirus from Kerala. Keeping this in mind, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare revised its travel advisory to China, asking citizens to refrain from travelling to China.
Right after the coronavirus outbreak started in China, India had advised its citizens to avoid non-essential travel to China. India is the third country after Australia and the US to impose a blanket ban on travel to China.
But now after the third confirmed case has come forward, India has revised its travel advisory regarding China.
Revised Travel Advisory for #novelcoronavirus:
Indians should refrain travel to China. In case of travel, on return from China they could be quarantined.
Anyone with travel history in #China since 15th Jan, 2020 and from now on could be quarantined.@PMOIndia@drharshvardhan— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) February 2, 2020
Here’s what the revised travel advisory states:
Anyone with a travel history to and from China from January 15, 2020 and after can be quarantined.
Online visa facility for Chinese passport holders has been temporarily suspended
Online visas that have already been issued to Chinese nationals are temporarily invalid
Online applications for a physical visa from China are suspended
Anyone that needs to visit India from China needs to get in touch with the Indian Embassy in Beijing or consulates in Shanghai or Guangzhou.
There are strict restrictions on travel to China from India too. Earlier, two Air India planes have already brought back people from Wuhan, the region where Coronavirus is said to have originated.