India extends travel restrictions after 2 new cases of coronavirus

India on Monday announced additional travel restrictions affecting Iran, Italy and South Korea and Singapore after two new cases of coronavirus or COVID-19 were reported in the country.

Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said one of the new cases was detected in Delhi and the other was in Telangana. A third case was also reported from Rajasthan’s Jaipur where a 69-year-old Italian national tested positive for coronavirus.

Harsh Vardhan said the infected person from Delhi recently travelled to Italy and the other from Telangana came back from Dubai, adding both patients were stable and being closely monitored.

Harsh Vardhan advised that Indian citizens need to avoid non-essential travel to Singapore, Republic of Korea, Iran and Italy.

People coming from South Korea, Iran and Italy or having such travel history since February 10, 2020, may be quarantined for 14 days on arrival to India, he added.

“We are monitoring the evolving global scenario. Restrictions may be further extended to other countries, as per the situation,” he said while speaking to reporters.

Travellers from China, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, Nepal, Indonesia, Iran and Italy are being screened at the earmarked aero-bridges at 21 designated airports for possible exposure to the novel coronavirus.

Vardhan, who held a meeting of the group of ministers constituted to monitor the situation, said India has already suspended e-visas or visas issued to Iranian and Chinese nationals over the rising number of confirmed COVID-19 patients in these countries.

“Depending on the evolving situation, visa restrictions may be extended to other countries,” he said.

Vardhan said around 1086 people who returned from Iran in recent times have been recommended for community surveillance.

He also said 112 people inclusive of nationals from Myanmar, Bangladesh, Maldives, Chinese, South African, the US and Madagascar from Wuhan were evacuated and are kept at the camp of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in Chhawla.

The first test of all of them is found to be negative, he said.

He added that 124 people were brought back from Japan through Air India flight on February 27, including 5 foreign nationals. They have also tested negative and are kept in the Indian Army’s facility in Manesar.

The coronavirus, which spread from China’s Wuhan late last year, has quickly spread to more than 60 countries and the death toll worldwide reached at least 3000.

China on Monday said 202 new confirmed cases of coronavirus and 42 deaths were reported across the country in the last 24 hours as authorities here tightened measures against imported cases with the outbreak situation rapidly worsening globally.

The overall confirmed cases on the mainland had reached 80,026 by the end of Sunday with 2912 people dying of the Covid-19 epidemic.