Covid-19 outbreak: No foreign flights in India for a week, work-from-home for private sector

In an advisory, the Centre also advised children below 10 and citizens above 65 – except government servants, medical professionals and public representatives -- to stay at home and not “venture out”.

The government banned on Thursday all international commercial flights from landing in India for a week starting March 22 and instructed states to enforce work-from-home protocol for all private sector employees, except essential services, as part of a raft of measures aimed at staving off the coronavirus epidemic that has claimed four lives in the country.

The government also suspended all concessional travel on trains and flights, except for students, patients and disabled people (Amal KS/HT PHOTO)

In an advisory, the Centre also advised children below 10 and citizens above 65 – except government servants, medical professionals and public representatives -- to stay at home and not “venture out”.

WATCH | Govt on Coronavirus: Curtailing flights, trains; elderly, kids stay at home

“States are being requested to enforce work from home for private sector employees except for those working in emergency/essential services,” the statement read. The statement came hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the nation at 8pm on Thursday.

The decision was taken after a meeting of the group of ministers (GOM) formed to monitor the outbreak, including Union civil aviation minister Hardeep Puri, health minister Harsh Vardhan and external affairs minister S Jaishankar. Officials at the national aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), said about 300 incoming flights will be impacted.

The government also suspended all concessional travel on trains and flights, except for students, patients and disabled people. The national transporter at present provides a total of 53 category of concessions out of which only 15 categories can be availed as per the new orders.

All group B and C central government employees have been asked to attend office on alternate weeks, with staggered timings.

The DGCA had earlier prohibited travel of passengers from the European Union, the European Free Trade Association, Turkey, and United Kingdom from March 18 till March 31. India also issued an order expanding compulsory quarantine for a minimum period of 14 days for passengers coming from or transiting through the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait.

“Amidst the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 virus and increasing number of cases in India, it has become imperative to curtail its spread and protect the most vulnerable group of population i.e people with chronic illness and especially senior citizens. Withdrawal of such concessions is also a part of a wider plan to discourage unnecessary travel by all concerned and hence concessional booking of all tickets have been withdrawn except patients, students and divyangjan [disabled] category for both unreserved and reserved segments,” the railway ministry said.

The Railways have seen a decline of Rs 454 crore in its earnings over the last week as at least 164 trains have been cancelled in the wake of the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.

India is currently grappling with stage 2 of the coronavirus outbreak, with 169 cases and four deaths. The Indian Council of Medical Research has ruled out community transmission – where the origin of the infection is not known -- as of Thursday morning.