Many are stranded in transit; even OCI cardholders are being denied entry into the country
With the government denying them entry via any air, land or seaport, as many as 55,000 non-resident Indians and people of Indian origin are stuck in several parts of China where the coronavirus outbreak has claimed nearly 1,400 lives, multiple sources said. India had recently evacuated over 640 of its citizens from Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak. Yet, around 80-100 Indians are stranded in the city and nearby areas. The Indian Embassy in Beijing estimates more than 50,000 Indian citizens to have been working in mainland China as of early 2019.
Besides, there are also no clear guidelines for Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cardholders. Erring on the side of caution, airport and immigration officials in other countries are not allowing OCI cardholders to travel to India, even though the Indian notification on coronavirus only mentions invalidating e-visas. As a result, families stuck in transit have been hit the hardest. Officials at the Department of Overseas Affairs said no guidelines for Indians living in China are planned yet.
There have also been cases of people getting stranded because of lack of clarity regarding the visa rules following the novel coronavirus outbreak. The Health Ministry had cautioned people visiting China to strictly avoid locals with signs of fever, besides suggesting other preventive tactics as early as January 11. So far, there is no official travel advisory from the Ministry of External Affairs and this has led to confusion over international travel...
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