Washington, DC – The exponential increase in COVID-19 cases in India has prompted the United States to stop incoming flights (travel ban) from India.
India is already under a Level 4 – “Do Not Travel” advisory from the State Department, which was issued related to the continued spread of the coronavirus recently.
In a statement from the White House, Jen Psaki, the White House Press Secretary said: “On the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Administration will restrict travel from India starting immediately.”
“The policy will be implemented in light of extraordinarily high COVID-19 caseloads and multiple variants circulating in the [sic] India. The policy will take effect on Tuesday, May 4,” the statement concluded.
It may be noted that India doesn’t allow incoming flights till May 31. In a statement dated April 30, Sunil Kumar, Director General in the Office of the Director General of Civil Aviation, Government of India said: “the competent authority has further extended the validity of circular issued on the subject cited above regarding Scheduled International commercial passenger services to/from India till 2359 hrs IST of 31st May, 2021.”
The tsunami of COVID cases has thrown the Indian health system into the throes of a catastrophic situation in which hospitals are overflowing, and medical supplies including vital oxygen are running out.
According to reports from our reporter on the ground there, in one day on Wednesday (April 28), India recorded 360,000 new COVID cases and 3,000 deaths in a 24-hour span.
There is a wave of medical and other essential supplies from other countries including the US, landing in India but there is no accountability in the distribution system.
With the central government in Delhi not admitting a national disaster in response and a health crisis of epic proportions raging, other countries are shutting down their borders to traffic from India.
Notable are Italy, Germany, Singapore, Australia, France, and the United Kingdom, who have acted to safeguard their own populations.