US restricts travel from India from May 4, cites ‘extraordinarily high’ cases | World News - Hindustan Times
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US restricts travel from India from May 4, cites ‘extraordinarily high’ cases

ByYashwant Raj, Hindustan Times, Washington
May 01, 2021 01:07 AM IST

A White House statement said the decision to restrict travel from India had been taken on the advice of the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Joe Biden administration will restrict travel from India from Tuesday in view of the spike in cases of Covid-19, the White House said in a statement Friday.

Lab staff process RT-PCR tests at an on-site Covid-19 testing laboratory at Los Angeles International Airport(AFP)
Lab staff process RT-PCR tests at an on-site Covid-19 testing laboratory at Los Angeles International Airport(AFP)

”On the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Administration will restrict travel from India starting immediately,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

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“The policy will be implemented in light of extraordinarily high COVID-19 caseloads and multiple variants circulating in India.”

The restrictions will not apply to American citizens and lawful residents (Green Card holders), according to details reported by some media outlets.

The state department had reissued a “Do not travel” advisory for its citizens for India on Wednesday and allowed families of diplomats to leave for the United States in view of the spike in cases in India. A state department spokesperson said this a voluntary authorized departure and not mandatory.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the Department of State authorized the voluntary departure, so-called authorized departure, of family members of the embassy – at the US Embassy in New Delhi and the consulates throughout the country,” the spokesperson said at a news briefing.

“Authorized departure doesn’t force anyone to leave; it doesn’t require anyone to leave. It gives these family members the option to depart if they wish. Departure, again, is not required.”

The United States has also extended the Level 4 “Do not travel” advisory, which Price said, was a “pro forma re-issuance” of a previously issued advisory that had “been in effect, given COVID not only in India but also globally as well”.

Price refused to share details of reports of US embassy staff contracting Covid-19. CNN has reported citing sources that there has been a major outbreak at US missions in India. Two locally employed staff members have died and more than 100 tested positive.

“It is fair to say that Covid has touched every – just about every element of Indian society, and of course, we do have a large diplomatic presence in India, as you might expect, given our global comprehensive partnership with India,” Price said, adding, “So while I can’t offer any specifics on U.S. embassy employees or family members or locally employed staff, clearly this is a pandemic; this is an outbreak, a surge of cases in India that has left no part of the country untouched.”

Asked about the removal and blocking of social media posts critical of the Indian government over the second wave of Covid-19 epidemic, Price said, “Of course, India is a large democracy with whom we share foundational values, and freedom of information, freedom of expression is something we support around the world.”

Pushed back by a reporter who asked if freedom of expression and information extended to social media posts that incited violence, the state department spokesperson said that “hate speech, incitement to violence is something that we oppose everywhere”.

“But clearly,” he added, “we support freedom of expression, while still calling out and condemning when we see incitement to violence and hate speech.”

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