Coronavirus crisis: People intending to visit India will have to apply afresh for visa

Chinese citizens and foreign nationals based out of China intending to visit India will have to apply afresh for an Indian visa after Indian Embassy in Beijing said that the existing single/multiple entry visas issued to such visitors are no longer valid. The embassy asked visitors to ascertain the validity of visa by contacting the Visa Section of the Embassy/Consulates of India in China.

The Indian Embassy in Beijing took to Twitter to inform that such intending visitors should contact them through the official email id. The embassy said that they can also contact the Consulates or Indian Visa Application Centres in both cities in Shanghai and Guangzhou.

e-visa facility suspended

Earlier on February 2, India temporarily suspended e-visa facility for such travellers in view of the deadly coronavirus that has killed 425 people and infected more than 20,000 others. “Due to certain current developments, travel to India on e-visas stands temporarily suspended with immediate effect," the Indian Embassy had announced. Other countries that have temporarily suspended visa for Chinese travellers include the United States, Switzerland, Slovakia, Norway, Belgium, and Estonia among others.

Read: Coronavirus Death Toll Rises To 425 In China, Over 20,000 Infected

China calls travel bans 'overreaction'

China has been critical of countries for not only evacuating its citizens and imposing a travel ban with the highest level of alert but also prohibiting Chinese residents in their country. Following the announcement of the global health emergency by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the US Department of State had ordered the departure of all family members under age 21 of government officials in China. In a travel advisory issued on February 2, the department urged travellers to be prepared for the possibility of travel restrictions with little or no advance notice.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said the US overreacted to the situation and created panic among people by withdrawing some embassy staff and imposing a travel ban on all visitors from China. The spokesperson to MFA, in a tweet, said that they understand reasonable quarantine measures based on WHO advisory but oppose “excessive measures” that “unnecessarily interfere” with international travel.

Read: Kerala Declares Coronavirus As 'state Calamity' After Three People Test Positive

China’s acting ambassador to Israel went ahead and compared the travel bans, imposed by several countries, with turning away of Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. Speaking to reporters in Tel Aviv, ambassador Dai Yuming said that the entry ban on Chinese citizens due to coronavirus reminded him of World War II and the Holocaust.

Dai said that very few countries, including China, opened the door for Jews when they sought refuge from other countries. Later, the Chinese Embassy in Israel issued an apology and said that there was no intention to compare the dark days of the Holocaust with the current situation.

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