DGCA restricts foreigners, Chinese nationals entry in India with visa issued before Feb 5

The aviation regulator - Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on Sunday, issued a statement saying that the foreigners, who went to China on or after January 15, will not be allowed to enter India. This came after the death toll for the coronavirus outbreak cases increased to 813 in China. The circular, issued on Saturday, also reiterated that all visas, as well as e-visas issued to Chinese nationals before February 5, have been suspended with immediate effect. 

DGCA’s statement on foreign nationals 

"Foreigners who have been to China on or after January 15, 2020, are not allowed to enter India from any air, land or seaport including India-Nepal, Indo-Bhutan, Indo-Bangladesh or Indo-Myanmar land borders," the DGCA said in a circular. 

Read: After DGCA notice for FDTL violations, GoAir conducting daily audit of pilots' roster: Puri

"No Chinese national, as well as other foreigners presently in China, are allowed to travel to India on existing Regular (sticker) visa or e-visa, which they hold (issued prior to Feb 05, 2020). In case of compelling reasons to travel to India, such persons may get in touch with Embassy in Beijing or Consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou for new visas," the circular said. 

Read: Coronavirus: DGCA restricts entry of foreigners in India who visited China post-Jan 14

Restrictions not applicable to aircrew 

The DGCA further states that the restrictions mentioned in the statement are not applicable to the aircrew. The aircrew members could either be Chinese nationals or other foreign nationalities coming from China. The airlines, Indigo and Air India have also suspended their operations, temporarily in and around China. This comes amidst the rising pneumonia scare caused due to the virus outbreak. 

Read: Coronavirus: DGCA suspends pre-flight alcohol test at Kerala airports

The death toll for n-Coronavirus has surpassed the tolls from the SARS epidemic of 2002-03. The origin of the virus has been linked to the local seafood market of Wuhan, which is the capital of Hubei province in central China. The virus outbreak began in the middle of December and it has spread to nearly 23 countries. 

Few of the countries currently affected by the virus include Singapore, Thailand, Japan, India, and the United States. Amidst the scare, many countries have restricted their citizens from travelling to mainland China. Few countries have also set up health camps at airports to screen the passengers arriving from the East Asian countries.  

Read: DGCA issues advisory to airlines for implementation of 'Vishaka Guidelines'