Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that central government ministers will not travel abroad. He also advised people to avoid non-essential travel.
The government on Wednesday had blocked all visas except a few, like diplomatic and employment, till April 15 and travel restrictions have been put on several countries. The government closed the Border with Myanmar yesterday as the number of coronavirus cases in South Asia is rising rapidly.
"The Government is fully vigilant about the situation due to COVID-19 Novel Coronavirus," PM Modi tweeted. "Across ministries & states, multiple steps have been proactively taken to ensure safety of all. These steps are wide-ranging, from suspension of Visas to augmenting healthcare capacities."
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had on March 6 issued a travel advisory advising people to not travel to China, Iran, Republic of Korea, Italy and Japan and not make non-essential travel to COVID-19 affected countries.
Earlier this month, Health Minister Dr Harsha Vardhan had announced a plan to tackle the virus and said that he and PM Modi are personally keeping a check on the situation.
The government has also made it mandatory for travellers flying into the country to go through a check-up at the airports.
Officials have been told to look for suitable locations to build quarantine facilities.
The total number of coronavirus cases in India has reached 73 after 10 new cases were reported yesterday.
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