India is among several nations currently facing a travel ban from China. (Figurative)
New Delhi:
The government has not given instructions to stop flying Chinese nationals to the country, several airlines said today, denying reports of an informal instruction. Airline operators told NDTV that they are still approaching Chinese nationals.
Air India sources told NDTV that they are still boarding all the passengers, including the Chinese.
India is among several nations currently facing a travel ban from China due to the coronavirus. The order was issued in early November and in the context of the thorny relations between the two nations, the Chinese embassy in New Delhi had made it clear that the suspension is a temporary measure taken to deal with the pandemic.
In addition to India, similar restrictions were placed on travelers from the UK, France, Belgium, Bangladesh and the Philippines.
“China will make further adjustments and announce in a timely manner in accordance with the current pandemic situation,” the embassy said.
China, where the virus originated late last year, has managed to get it under control, shutting down all inbound traffic from other nations in March and applying strict security measures.
India is the second most infected nation in the world after the United States. The total number of positives so far is 1,02,07,871, but the daily increase has dropped to around 20,000 from a high of 97,000.
Over the past 24 hours, the number of COVID-19 cases increased 6.88 percent to 20,021. The number of recent deaths, 279, remained the same as yesterday, according to data from the Union Ministry of Health. The overall death toll since the outbreak began in January is 1.47,901.
Four states, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat and Assam, began today a two-day trial for the coronavirus vaccination program, with special emphasis on managing potential adverse events after immunization.
The government plans to cover 30 million people in the first phase when it launches the Covid vaccine.
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