Delhi hotels provide free food & stay to foreign tourists stuck in India due to travel ban

Amid the nationwide lockdown, foreign tourists who have been to India on a tour are finding it difficult to manage their stay as they are out of cash. Luckily for them, the hotels are providing them with free food and accommodation. These tourists from the European countries are residing in Delhi's Paharganj hotels and are grateful to the hoteliers for allowing them to stay and not asking them to vacate amid the lockdown.

"I am facing a lot of difficulties while moving around. It is very hard for us to get basic essential items as most of the grocery shops are shut," Anastejiya Jerani of Greece told ANI.

"A very few of the medical shops are open. The only place where we can get food is the hotel. We are very grateful for this," added Jerani.

"It has been more than a week since we have been trying to return to our countries. Our flights have been cancelled. We are now running out of cash. We just want to go back to our home," she added.

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Demetrio, another tourist from Greece, said that he is out of cash now and wants to go back to his country.

"I came here on a trip to India. The hotel is providing all the facilities they can. I want the Greek government to send a plane here to take us back to our homes. I am out of cash now," he said.  

Maria Jaffereo of Greece said that she is grateful that the hotel is providing food.  

"We are stuck here. Our visas will expire soon. We want to go back to our homes. Our friends are also stuck at different places in India. We are grateful that the hotel is providing food. We are not receiving any help from our government. It is getting worse. We are locked down here in a room. We do not know when will this end," she said.

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The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a letter regarding grant of consular services in order to help the foreign nationals stuck in India due to the lockdown owing to Coronavirus.

"As a number of foreign nationals are in the country since the imposition of travel restrictions and are unable to exit the country during the validity of their visa, it has been decided to provide the essential consular services by Office of the Foreigners Regional Registration Officers/ Foreigners Registration Officers to foreign nationals presently in India," said the MHA.  

21-day lockdown

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 23 announced a 21-days nationwide lockdown with effect from March 24 as an only possible solution to contain the spread of the Coronavirus in the country. India has witnessed a swell in Coronavirus cases as the number of infected individuals crossed the 1000 figure mark. As on March 29, the number of Covid-19 positive cases stand at 1024, of which 27 have succumbed to the virus while 95 have been recovered and discharged according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.