US urges citizens to leave India as COVID crisis worsens

Washington: The increasing number of fresh COVID cases and induced fatalities has prompted the US administration to urge its citizens to leave India.

The Department of State issued the highest level travel advisory asking US citizens "not to travel to India or to leave as soon as it is safe to do so".

The Washington government in its advisory said, "Access to all types of medical care is becoming severely limited in India due to the surge in Covid-19 cases. US citizens who wish to depart India should take advantage of available commercial transportation options now. Direct flights between India and the United States are offered daily, with additional flight options available to U.S. citizens via transfers in Paris and Frankfurt".

"There are 14 direct daily flights between India and the U.S. and other services that connect through Europe," the department said.

The US has also urged its citizens to enrol with the embassy in order to receive critical information related to health and safety in India.

The advisory also stated constrained COVID-19 testing infrastructure and shortages of essential supplies, oxygen, and beds for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 related patients, as a reason for issuing travel restrictions to India.

Additionally, the advisory alleged that US citizens are reportedly being denied admittance to hospitals in some cities due to a lack of space.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a level 4 travel health notice too.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, over 360,000 people tested positive for the infection in India and over 3,000 people died across the country due to the pandemic.

Australia has already banned all flights from India. The UK has banned the entry of any visitor who was in India in the last 10 days.