India reopens for foreign tourists after 20 months
Foreign tourists intending to visit India can finally do so from today as the country has reopened its borders to mass foreign tourism, ending a 20-month clampdown as coronavirus infections across the country remain low. Since last month tourists on chartered flights were already being granted entry and Indian authorities expanded that to arrivals on commercial flights too.
After halting tourist visas in March last year, India is now allowing quarantine-free entry to fully inoculated travellers from 99 reciprocating countries. The government only requires such tourists to monitor their health for 14 days after arrival.
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India suspended all visas granted to foreign travellers last year in view of the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the country and by extension, the rest of the world. Not just that, the country also imposed several other restrictions on international travel, including limiting the number of flights and constituting special ‘air bubble’ arrangements with countries with favourable situations for travel. However, with the gradual easing of the pandemic situation, foreign travellers were later allowed to avail of any other kind of Indian visa, except a tourist visa, to facilitate for themselves entry and stay in India.
India’s cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage exceeded 112.34 crore on Monday with the administration of 30,20,119 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
As per provisional reports till 7 am today, 1,12,34,30,478 doses were administered through 1,15,01,243 sessions.
Meanwhile, 10,229 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours.
The active caseload is presently at 1,34,096 is the lowest in 523 days. The active cases presently constitute 0.39% of the country’s total positive cases, which is the lowest since March 2020.
