Cornavirus threat: Arunachal Pradesh bans entry of foreigners

Arunachal Presh government has decided to temporarily suspend issuing Protected Area Permits (PAPs) to foreigners to check spre of coronavirus, officials said on Sunday.

Foreigners require PAPs to enter state that shares a border with China. Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar directed all PAP issuing authorities to suspend issue of permits till furr orders, y said.

"It is learnt that Covid-19 positive cases have been detected in India and numbers have been increasing. It is also learnt that spre of coronavirus in India is primarily from visitors who h history of travelling abro recently or through tourists who have visited India," government order said.

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"In order to prevent spre of coronavirus (Covid-19) in Arunachal Presh, it has been decided to temporarily suspend issuing Protected Area Permit (PAP)...," it ded.

move comes days after Sikkim anunced similar curbs on visit of foreigners. Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has also shut its borders to foreign visitors for two weeks in an effort to limit impact of disease.

virus that first emerged in China in December last year has spre to 97 countries and has infected 102,180 people, according to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus tracker. More than 3,500 people have been killed due to virus so far.

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