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| India suspends most visas to halt coronavirus spread | India suspends most visas to halt coronavirus spread |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| India has announced that all visas, barring a select few categories, will be suspended for a month in order to halt the spread of Covid-19. | India has announced that all visas, barring a select few categories, will be suspended for a month in order to halt the spread of Covid-19. |
| Visa free travel afforded to overseas citizens of the country has also been suspended until 15 April. | Visa free travel afforded to overseas citizens of the country has also been suspended until 15 April. |
| The move is expected to impact tourism, hotel and aviation industries in what will be more bad news for the slowing economy. | The move is expected to impact tourism, hotel and aviation industries in what will be more bad news for the slowing economy. |
| India has 60 confirmed cases of the virus, the health ministry says. | India has 60 confirmed cases of the virus, the health ministry says. |
| This number is expected to grow in coming days, as the results for tests conducted earlier become available. | This number is expected to grow in coming days, as the results for tests conducted earlier become available. |
| The advisory, issued on Wednesday night, says that only diplomatic, official, employment and project visas will be exempt from the current restrictions, which will be reviewed again in a month. | The advisory, issued on Wednesday night, says that only diplomatic, official, employment and project visas will be exempt from the current restrictions, which will be reviewed again in a month. |
| However, it has said that even those allowed in could be subject to 14 days of quarantine and has warned against "non-essential travel". | However, it has said that even those allowed in could be subject to 14 days of quarantine and has warned against "non-essential travel". |
| India's health ministry says it was among the first countries in the world to prepare for an outbreak of the respiratory illness. | India's health ministry says it was among the first countries in the world to prepare for an outbreak of the respiratory illness. |
| However, there are concerns about whether the country will be fully equipped to prevent and treat an outbreak. | However, there are concerns about whether the country will be fully equipped to prevent and treat an outbreak. |
| "It would be near impossible for India to force its citizens into mass quarantine and hospitalise people in numbers like China," says the BBC's Soutik Biswas. | "It would be near impossible for India to force its citizens into mass quarantine and hospitalise people in numbers like China," says the BBC's Soutik Biswas. |
| Officials in the southern state of Karnataka have invoked the provisions of a 123-year-old legislation to ensure that patients suspected to have shown symptoms of Covid-19 do not run away from being treated at hospitals or violate home quarantine norms. | |
| The provision that has been invoked under the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 says that any person or organisation or institution that violates the regulations will be prosecuted. | |
| The state was prompted to enact the legislation after a passenger from Dubai, who was tested at the Mangalore airport and was found to have mild fever, ran away from a government hospital where he was taken for observation. | |
| The travel restrictions are also expected to badly hit several key sectors of India's economy. | |
| India's leading domestic airline, IndiGo, has already said that it expects its quarterly earnings to be materially impacted because of the virus. | |
| The auto industry, which is a key economic indicator, has also warned that production could be badly hit as 10% of its raw materials come from China. | The auto industry, which is a key economic indicator, has also warned that production could be badly hit as 10% of its raw materials come from China. |
| Moody's also downgraded India's expected growth to 5.3%. | Moody's also downgraded India's expected growth to 5.3%. |