"Stop the New Coronavirus"... India Suspends Issuance of e-Visas for China

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] On the 3rd, local media including Times of India reported that India has decided to temporarily suspend the issuance of e-visas for travelers coming from China, including Chinese nationals and foreigners, to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia).

According to the report, the Embassy of India in China stated on Twitter the day before, "Considering the current situation, visiting India with an e-visa is temporarily suspended," adding, "This applies to holders of Chinese passports or nationals of other countries residing in China." It also added that previously issued e-visas are no longer valid.

This is interpreted as the local embassy or consulate planning to conduct more stringent document screening for those intending to visit India from China. However, unlike the United States, India has not banned flights originating from China itself, and left room for visa issuance in cases of urgent or important reasons to travel from China to India.

On the 1st and 2nd, India used charter flights to bring back 324 and 323 of its nationals residing in the Wuhan area, respectively. So far, three confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus have been reported in India. All three are students who returned to Kerala from Wuhan last month. Indian quarantine authorities stated, "We are making every effort to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus by isolating nationals who came from Wuhan and strengthening quarantine measures."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.