US imposes travel restrictions on India starting May 4

Washington: In the light of the daily-increasing coronavirus cases in India, United States President Joe Biden has decided to impose a new travel restriction on the south-Asian country from the coming Tuesday.

The new restrictions, which take effect on Tuesday, May 4 at 0401 hrs (GMT), are on the advice of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and were imposed because “the magnitude and scope of the COVID-19 pandemic” in India was “surging,” the White House said.

Biden has signed a proclamation implementing the restrictions, which said that India “accounts for over one-third of new global cases” and added that “proactive measures are required to protect the nation's public health from travelers entering the United States” from the former.