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U.S. Tells Citizens to

Leave India as Covid
Crisis Deepens
By Angus Whitley
April 29, 2021, 9:05 AM GMT+7
Updated on April 29, 2021, 3:20 PM GMT+7

Level 4 advisory is highest issued by U.S.

State Department
Global companies also stepping in to rush
supplies, funds

Why Is Covid Devastating India?

"It's a combination of poor leadership, a lack of

public health infrastructure." NSW University says.

The U.S. told its citizens to get out of India as

soon as possible as the country’s Covid-19
crisis worsens at an astonishing pace.

In a Level 4 travel advisory --- the highest of its

kind issued by the State Department -- U.S.
citizens were told “not to travel to India or to
leave as soon as it is safe to do so.” There are
14 direct daily flights between India and the
U.S. and other services that connect through
Europe, the department said.

Travel - State Dept

@TravelGov

#India: Access to medical care is severely

limited due to COVID-19 cases. U.S. citizens
wishing to depart should use available
commercial options now. Daily direct flights to
the US and flights via Paris and Frankfurt are
available. ow.ly/IDnu50EA28x

12:31 AM · Apr 29, 2021

268 See the latest COVID-19 inf…

READ MORE:

‘Please Help!’: Covid Tragedy Spills Onto

Social Media in India

Even Record Death Toll May Hide Extent of

India’s Covid Crisis

‘It’s Like a War’: Inside an India Hospital

Desperate for Oxygen

Indian authorities and hospitals are struggling

to cope with unprecedented Covid infections
and deaths. Official data on Thursday showed
new cases rose by a staggering 379,257 over
the prior 24 hours, another record, while
3,645 additional lives were lost. More than
204,800 people have died.

No Admittance

“U.S. citizens are reporting being denied

admittance to hospitals in some cities due to a
lack of space,” the website of the U.S.
Embassy and Consulates in India said in a
health alert. “U.S. citizens who wish to depart
India should take advantage of available
commercial transportation options now.” All
routine U.S. citizen services and visa services
at the U.S. Consulate General Chennai have
been canceled.

Tracking COVID-19

904,893
New cases reported worldwide, April 28

3,152,458
Total deaths reported worldwide

379,308 in India
Most new cases today

1,081,712,912
Vaccine doses administered in 172
countries

+23%
Change in MSCI World Index of global
stocks since Jan. 23, 2020

-0.0857
Change in U.S. treasury bond yield since
Jan. 23, 2020

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, anyone returning to
the U.S. from overseas must have a viral
Covid-19 test between three and five days after
travel. Individuals who haven’t been
vaccinated should also stay at home and self-
quarantine for a week.

The South Asian nation now has the world’s

fastest-growing caseload with 18.4 million
confirmed instances. The virus has gripped
India’s populace with a severity not seen in its
first wave. Mass funeral pyres, lines of
ambulances outside overcrowded hospitals
and desperate pleas on social media for
oxygen underscore how unprepared India’s
federal and state governments are to tackle
the latest outbreak.

The unfolding tragedy is prompting some of

the world’s biggest corporations to organize
aid. Amazon.com Inc. is harnessing its global
logistics supply chain to airlift 100 ICU
ventilator units from the U.S., and the
equipment will reach India in the next two
weeks. Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer
Satya Nadella said he was “heartbroken” by
the situation and the tech behemoth is using
its voice, resources and technology to aid
relief efforts and help buy oxygen
concentrators.

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Blackstone Group Inc. Chairman Stephen

Schwarzman said his private equity firm is
committing $5 million to support India’s
Covid relief and vaccination services to
“marginalized communities.” Local
companies, too, are wading in, with the
philanthropic arm of India’s most valuable
company -- Reliance Industries Ltd.,
controlled by Asia’s richest man Mukesh
Ambani -- pledging to create, commission and
manage 100 ICU beds that will become
operational mid next month.

Global Isolation

As thousands of doctors, nurses and non-

medical professionals work around-the-clock
to save what patients they can, countries
around the rest of the world are drawing up
their bridges.

Within Asia, Hong Kong banned flights from

India, as well as Pakistan and the Philippines,
for 14 days from April 20. Singapore has
barred long-term pass holders and short-
term visitors who have recently been in India
from entering. Indonesia is also denying entry
to people traveling from India.

Further afield, the U.K. has added India to its

travel ban list, and the United Arab Emirates
and Kuwait have halted passenger
flights from India. Canada last week banned
flights from India and Pakistan for 30 days.
Australia banned flights from India this week.

— With assistance by Ruth Pollard

(Updates with advice for U.S. citizens returning

from overseas in fifth paragraph.)

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