#Coronavirus Spread: India Under Lockdown As All International Flights Banned From Entering India; No Foreigner Allowed

In the wake of the Coronavirus, the Indian Government has announced that all operations of commercial international airlines to operate to India will be suspended for a week from

Coronavirus was initially detected in quite a few foreigners that had travelled to India – about 16 Italians tested positive for the virus, which might be one of the primary reasons behind the Government announcing such a decision.

All possible measures are being implemented in India to at least limit the spreading of the virus. 

Government Bans International Flights Due To Coronavirus’ Rising Risk 

To curb the spreading of the Coronavirus and to keep it from making more harm than it already has, the Indian Government has announced that all the international airlines from operating to India will be banned for the coming week.

The Indian Government has issued an advisory in which this decision has been noted.

The advisory issued by the Government says, “No scheduled international commercial passenger aircraft shall be allowed to land in India from March 22, 2020, for one week. These instructions shall remain in force till 5.30 am of March 29.”

The Government has already imposed a temporary ban on any foreigners entering the country by suspending most visas. 

In a separate statement, the Indian aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said that even though a maximum time of 20 hours is made permissible for international commercial passenger aircraft to be landed in India, no aeroplane will be permitted to disembark passengers on Indian soil, be them Indian nationals or foreigners. This will be effective after 8 pm on March 22.

Alternative Seating Arrangement To Be Made In Metros, Railways, Etc.

The Government has also asked Metros, railways, buses and airlines to reduce the frequency of the services and also consider introducing alternative seating arrangements to maintain social distancing. The advisory states, “Effective disinfection and crowd management be ensured in places like railway stations, Metro stations, bus stands, and airports.”

If the Coronavirus outbreak is not curbed, it would occur in huge losses – as much as $113 billion in revenue, as revealed by Aviation industry lobby group The International Air Transport Association (IATA).

About 9115 lives have succumbed to the virus, and 222,642 people have been infected, as shown by the latest data published by Johns Hopkins University.