The US Government has issued a new advisory to American citizens for any sort of travel to India on account of the worsening situation of the Pandemic in India.

A new advisory published by the US Embassy, Delhi, states (emphasis, mine)

Actions to Take: Access to all types of medical care is becoming severely limited in India due to the surge in Covid-19 cases.  U.S. 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.

We urge U.S. citizens to enroll in STEP at step.state.gov in order to receive critical information from the Embassy related to health and safety in India.

Please visit the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare website for the latest information on travel restrictions.

Event: New cases and deaths from COVID-19 have risen sharply throughout India to record levels.  COVID-19 testing infrastructure is reportedly constrained in many locations. Hospitals are reporting shortages of supplies, oxygen, and beds for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 related patients.  U.S. citizens are reporting being denied admittance to hospitals in some cities due to a lack of space.  Some states have enacted curfews and other restrictions that limit movement and the operation of non-essential businesses.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice and the Department of State has issued a Level 4 Travel Advisory advising against all travel to India.  The current Level 4 Travel Advisory is the highest level issued by the Department of State and advises U.S. citizens not to travel to India or to leave as soon as it is safe to do so due to the current health situation in country.

he US State Department has actually voluntarily approved families of US Government employees to leave India. Here is a new update from the State Department website:

On April 28, 2021, the Department approved the voluntary departure of family members of U.S. government employees.

Will this lead to an upcoming ban on India travel or not, is anyone’s guess at the moment? American expats living in India are guessing so, but this is conjecture till it is not a done deal. The US imposed travel bans on various parts of the world, including the European Union, Ireland, South Africa, Brazil amongst others. With India, however, it has an Air Bubble, which ensures non-stop flights between India and USA are able to carry passengers, including B1/B2 passengers who are just tourists or short term business travellers to the USA.

Bottomline

Indians are fast being turned away from various parts of the world. Canada, UK, UAE, Kuwait, Maldives, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Oman are just some of them that come top of the head. The USA being added to the list won’t be a surprise. For now, US Government has started with advising American Citizens to leave India while they still can.

What do you think of the new advisory from the USA to advise their citizens to leave India using commercially available options?

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