Coronavirus: India tightens travel restrictions; Qatar bans travellers from India

India has tightened restrictions on travellers in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak. The latest advisory has urged people to refrain from all non-essential travel outside the country, especially to Republic of Korea, Italy, China, Japan, France, Germany and more.

#COVID19 #HelpUsToHelpYou

Travel Advisory:

Indian citizens are advised to avoid non- essential travel abroad.#SwasthaBharat#coronovirusindia @PMOIndia @drharshvardhan @AshwiniKChoubey @PIB_India @MIB_India @PIBHomeAffairs @MEAIndia @MoCA_GoI @shipmin_india @DDNewslive

— Ministry of Health (@MoHFW_INDIA) March 10, 2020

As per the authorities, visiting these countries makes people vulnerable to Coronavirus infection during transit, stay or their visit. The death toll is also quite significant from some of these countries. The Indian government has stated that more than 100 countries have reported cases of Covid-19 and, thus, all non-essential travel should be avoided.
The Union Health Ministry took to social media to make public the new restrictions and advice. As per the Ministry, India has 50 confirmed cases of Coronavirus as of now, and restrictions are put in place to stop the number from escalating further.

In a related development, Qatar has put a ban on visitors from 13 countries, and India, to prevent any Coronavirus cases. It is a temporary ban and applies to everyone who intends to visit Qatar from these countries; this will also include people with visa-on-arrival, temporary visitors, and those with work or residence permits. The list of countries includes Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Nepal, the Phillippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand and India. Qatar Airways has also suspended flights to and from Italy.