No Indian visas from Friday: HC

All valid visas issued by the Indian High Commission or the Assistant High Commissions of India in Bangladesh on or before March 12 will remain suspended from March 13 to till April 15.

No new visa shall be issued from March 13, 2020, said the Indian High Commission in Dhaka on Thursday.

In view of the existing spread of COVID-19, the government of India has issued the instructions on travel to India, reports UNB.

India has suspended all the existing visas, except diplomatic, official, UN/international organisations, employment, project visas till April 15.

This will come into effect from 1200 GMT on March 13 at the port of departure, said the Press Information Bureau of India on Wednesday.

The decision was taken at the sixth meeting of the high-level group of ministers held at Nirman Bhawan under the chairpersonship of Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare.

Hardeep S Puri, Minister of Civil Aviation, Dr S Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, Nityananda Rai, Minister of State for Home, Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State (I/c), Ministry of Shipping, Chemicals and Fertilisers and Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State, Health & Family Welfare were present.

The recommendations of the Committee of Secretaries chaired by Cabinet Secretary were placed before the Group of Ministers (GoM).

After detailed deliberations on preventive measures, actions taken and preparedness for Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19), the GoM took the following decisions:

Visa free travel facility granted to OCI card holders is kept in abeyance till April 15th 2020.

This will come into effect from 1200 GMT on 13th March 2020 at the port of departure.

Any foreign national who intends to travel to India for compelling reason may contact the nearest Indian Mission.

All incoming travellers, including Indian nationals, arriving from or having visited China, Italy, Iran, Republic of Korea, France, Spain and Germany after 15th February, 2020 shall be quarantined for a minimum period of 14 days.

This will come into effect from 1200 GMT on 13th March 2020 at the port of departure.

Incoming travellers, including Indian nationals, are advised to avoid non-essential travel and are informed that they can be quarantined for a minimum of 14 days on their arrival in India.

Indian nationals are strongly advised to avoid all non-essential travel abroad.

On their return, they can be subjected to quarantine for a minimum of 14 days.

International traffic through land borders will be restricted to Designated check posts with robust screening facilities.

These will be notified separately by M/o Home Affairs.

Provision for testing primarily for students/compassionate cases in Italy to be made and collection for samples to be organised accordingly. 

Those tested negative will be allowed to travel and will be quarantined on arrival in India for 14 days.