US restricts travel from India in light of second wave of Covid infections

The US has decided to limit travel from India from May 4 on the advice of the CDC, said Jen Psaki, White House press secretary. When asked what triggered the travel ban, she cited the “extraordinarily high number of cases and several variants of Covid-19 found in India”.

[REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE] File photo of a passenger showing his passport to a security officer at IGI airport in Delhi (Photo credit: PTI)

HIGHLIGHTS

• CDC advised the Biden government to restrict travel from India to the US
• A number of countries including the UK, Canada and the United Arab Emirates have placed restrictions on travelers from India
• The DGCA on Friday extended the suspension of international flights to and from India until May 31

The US restricted travel from India to the US on Friday due to the second wave of Covid-19 infections that ravaged the country. A number of countries including the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, France, U.AE, Pakistan and Singapore enforce similar restrictions on travelers from India as well.

Canada, Hong Kong, and New ZealandOn the other hand, we have stopped all business trips to India for the time being.

Speaking to the White House press corps, press secretary Jen Psaki said the United States’ decision to restrict travel from India would take effect next week.

U.S. pledges help as India grapples with second wave covid surge#ITVideo #UNITED STATES # Covid19India pic.twitter.com/X5QUwaXqe7

– IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) April 25, 2021

ALSO READ: Several countries have placed India on the list of international travel bans as the surge of the second wave of the virus

The decision was made on the advice of Centers for Disease Control and Preventionsaid Psaki.

When asked what triggered the travel ban, the White House spokesman cited “extraordinarily high numbers of Covid-19 cases” and “several variants” of the infection identified in India.

The delivery of 318 oxygen concentrators arrived at Delhi Airport from the USA. India today @ MunishPandeyy brings us more details
More #ReporterDiary:: https://t.co/FAHzdk9TO8# Oxygen concentrator #Delhi # COVID-19 #Coronavirus #United States of America #UNITED STATES pic.twitter.com/6AlLkFpG5W

– IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) April 26, 2021

At the beginning of this week the The US has issued a level 4 travel advisoryand urged its citizens to leave India as soon as possible. The State Department had urged American citizens “not to travel or go to India unless it is safe”.

Quotes a White House official, Reuters news agency reported earlier on Friday that the Biden government should make a formal announcement restricting travel from India.

The Directorate-General for Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday extended the suspension of international flights to and from India until May 31 in light of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

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