Many countries have imposed travel restrictions on India. The second surge of the COVID 19 pandemic all over India has been extremely disastrous compared to the first. Due to the rapid reduction in the number of COVID 19 cases until a few months ago it was believed that country was on the path of achieving “herd immunity”.
However, there has been a drastic change in the pandemic situation in India during the past month. The country is now reporting several cases of new variants of Coronavirus which is much more contagious than the original virus.
India has now almost 3 million Coronavirus. As a result, several countries have banned flights to and from India.
Read: 30 Countries That Have Lifted COVID-19 Travel Ban For Indians
Read: Reissuing Of OCI Cards – Process Simplified By The Indian Government
List Of Nations That Have Imposed Travel Restrictions On India
The list of countries imposing bans and restrictions in traveling to India continues to grow day by day. Let’s take a look at the different countries that have already imposed restrictions on traveling to India. Keep in mind that these restrictions could be modified by imposing additional bans and depending on how worse the situation in India turns out to be. The ban and restrictions are likely to be extended as well.
Read: Traveling Abroad? You’ll Need A Vaccine Passport
- United Kingdom
- On the 23rd of April India was added to the Red List of the United Kingdom
- Only British citizens, Irish citizens, and citizens with legal residency status in the UK could enter the UK from India
- These people returning from India requires a strict 10-day hotel quarantine in the UK
- The cost would come up to 1,750 Pounds
- The ban extends to all international travelers who have been in India during the 10 days before arriving in the UK
Read: Traveling From India In Transport Bubbles
2. Canada
- The Canadian government has imposed a ban on all private and commercial flights from India and Pakistan
- The ban is for 30 days and came into effect on the 22nd of April
3. United Arab Emirates
- All flights from India has been banned by the UAE for 10 days
- This came into effect on the 25th of April
- Cargo flights have been exempted
- The ban also does not apply to diplomats appointed by nations, UAE citizens, people with golden residency status, business people traveling on chartered aircraft, and official delegations.
4. Australia
- 40% of Australia’s COVID positive cases were found among Australians returning from India who was undergoing a mandatory 2 weeks hotel quarantine
- Hence, the Australian government has cut down the number of Indian flights by 30%
5. France
- France has not banned flights arriving from India
- Travelers from India must do an Antigen test on their arrival in France
- However, they are imposing a mandatory 10-day quarantine for travelers coming in from India
6. New Zealand
- Permanent residents of New Zealand from various countries including India will be prevented from entering the country directly
- The new rule comes into effect on the 28th of April
- However, this rule does not apply to citizens of New Zealand, their partners, children, and parents
7. Indonesia
- The Indonesian government has decided to stop issuing visas to foreigners who have been to India during the past 14 days
8. Hong Kong
- Hong Kong has banned travel to countries including India, the Philippines, and Pakistan
- The ban will remain in force for 14 days
- This came into effect on the 20th of April and will continue till the 3rd of May
8. Singapore
- All non-residents traveling from India to Singapore has been banned
- The ban was implemented on the 23rd of April
9. Kuwait
- Since the 24th of April Kuwait has banned flights from India
- The ban does not apply to freighters from India
10. Iran
- Travelers from India has been banned by Iran
- The ban was enforced on the 26th of April
12. Israel
- The country has issued a travel advisory to all Israeli citizens/residents visiting India
13. Germany
- India has been now classified as a Virus Variant country by Germany
- Indians have been banned from entering Germany
- The ban came into force on the 26th of April
- Exceptions on this ban are given to German citizens, permanent residents, individuals traveling on humanitarian grounds, people transiting through this country, individuals traveling with an order from UNO or IAEA
- Ban does not apply to cargo flights
14. Italy
- Indian have been banned from entering Italy
- The ban was enforced on the 26th of April
- Only Italian residents who’ve tested negative at the time of departure will be allowed to enter
- They have to undergo a mandatory quarantine upon their arrival in Italy
15. Maldives
- All passengers to the Maldives traveling from India must carry a negative RT-PCR test
- The ruling came into effect on the 27th of April
- The report must be validated and certified by a lab that has ICMR accreditation
- The test must have been conducted within 96 hours before arriving in the Maldives
- The test will have to be repeated once again within 72 hours before leaving this country
16. Bangladesh
- Entry for Indians into Bangladesh from India has been banned by this country
- This applies to all travel by land/air/rail
- Came into effect on the 26th of April
- The ban will remain in force till the 9th of May
- Cargo carriers are exempted
17. Oman
- Indians have been denied entry into Oman till further decisions are taken
- The ban was enforced on the 24th of April
- Citizens of Oman, Health care workers, Diplomats, and their families have been exempted from the entry ban
- However, they will be allowed to return from India only if they’ve tested negative for Coronavirus before departure
- They have to undergo quarantine once they arrive in Oman
18. Bahrain
- Passengers from India must carry a negative RT-PCR test report to enter this country
- The report must be validated and certified by a lab that has ICMR accreditation
- This ruling came into effect on the 27th of April
19. Qatar
- A travel advisory has been issued by the Qatar authorities on the 25th of April
- All passengers traveling to Qatar must produce a negative RT-PCR test report at the airport of departure in India
- An ICMR accredited lab has to validate and certify this report
- The test must have been conducted within 72 hours before they departed from India
Countries all over the world are now imposing strict regulations in traveling to and from India due to the current disastrous situation in India. These extreme steps have been taken to prevent/put a check on the new variants of this virus from spreading in their countries.
Also See
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- COVID-19 Impact – What’s Ahead For International Students?
