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India resumes e-visa for 156 countries

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has restored electronic visa (e-visa) facility for foreigners from 156 countries, who intend to visit India for the purposes of business, conferences, and for medical reasons, including in the case of medical attendants. E-visa for tourists is yet to be restored, reports Vijaita Singh in The Hindu. Though the facility is available to 171 countries, after restrictions were announced in 2020, it has been restored only for 156 countries. China, the U.K., Canada, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia are notable exclusions. In an order issued on March 30, the MHA said that “e-Visa under the following categories viz. e-business visa, e-medical visa, e-medical attendant visa and e-conference visa has been restored with immediate effect”. The relaxation for foreign visitors comes in the wake of a deadly second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed 1.7 lakh lives so far. The number of persons infected with COVID-19 increased from 59,118 on March 25 to 2,00,739 on April 14. India had earlier relaxed visa restrictions on October 22, 2020 enabling foreigners to come to India for business, conferences, employment, education, research and medical purposes, after availing regular visas from missions and embassies abroad. An e-visa is provided in five categories — tourist, business, conference, medical, and medical attendant. Under the arrangement, a foreigner can apply online (https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/) four days prior to travel. After the details are verified, an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) is generated, which has to be presented at the immigration checkpost on arrival. Entry through e-visas is allowed only at 28 designated international airports and 5 major seaports in India. International air travel to and from 107 immigration checkposts was suspended by the MHA on March 23, 2020, a day before the first phase of the 21-day countrywide lockdown in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic began. The visa restrictions were gradually relaxed and, later in the year, the Ministry allowed foreign nationals from the U.S., the U.K, Germany and France on “business, medical and employment” visas under an air bubble scheme.

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Delhi Chief Minister imposes weekend curfew to check Covid spread in the Capital

Delhi government has announced a curfew in the National Capital on the weekend. The weekend curfew will be enforced from 10pm on Friday to 5am on Monday. It is an extension of an already existing night curfew in the city. Announcing this, Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi, has said that the decision has been taken in consultation with the Lt. Governor of Delhi and aimed at discouraging travel for entertainment and other leisure activities on the weekend by the people. The CM said that while people generally travel for work related matters on weekdays, on the weekends they buy and travel for entertainment activities. This needs to be curtailed to avoid the spread of the Covid infection in the city. However, the Chief Minister said that social events like weddings will be allowed to by providing special e-passes. Later, in a TV interview, CM has appealed to the Central government to stop the exports of the vaccines immediately and also remove all kinds of restrictions on vaccination. The CM said that the vaccination is the only remedy and it should be widely accessible to people who want to get it.

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Indian Railways to run summer special trains; see train list with timings, halts & other details

For the convenience of Indian Railways passengers and to provide a comfortable and convenient journey during this summer season, the Northern Railway zone has decided to run Summer Special trains. These trains will run single side trips as fully reserved train services. All these Summer Special trains will consist of sleeper and second seating (reserved) class coaches. Passengers have been advised to follow all norms regarding COVID-19 including sanitization, social distancing, wearing face masks, etc., in the trains and at the railway stations. Following is the list of Summer Special trains along with their timings, halts and other details: Train Number 04076 New Delhi-Darbhanga Junction Summer Special Express will depart from New Delhi on 17 April at 11:15 PM and arrive Darbhanga Junction at 9:00 PM. The train will halt at Kanpur Central, Aishbagh, Badshahnagar, Gorakhpur, Deoria Sadar, Siwan Junction, Chhapra, Sonpur Junction, Hajipur Junction, Muzaffarpur Junction and Samastipur Junction stations. Train Number 04002 Anand Vihar Terminal-Sitamarhi Junction Summer Special Express will depart from Anand Vihar Terminal on 16 April at 11:00 PM and arrive Sitamarhi Junction at 12:25 AM. The train will halt at Ghaziabad, Pikhua, Hapur, Amroha, Moradabad, Bareilly, Shahjehanpur, Hardoi, Alamnagar, Lucknow, Barabanki Junction, Rudauli, Faizabad Junction, Ayodhya, Goshainganj, Akbarpur, Shahganj Junction, Jaunpur Junction, Varanasi Junction, Varanasi City, Aunrihar Junction, Ghazipur City, Yusufpur, Ballia, Suraimanpur, Chhapra, Dighwara, Sonpur Junction, Hajipur Junction, Muzaffarpur Junction and Runni Saidpur stations. Train Number 04004 Anand Vihar Terminal-Bhagalpur Summer Special Express will depart from Anand Vihar Terminal on 15 April at 11:00 PM and arrive Bhagalpur at 7:30 PM. The train will halt at Kanpur Central, Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction, Patna Junction, Patna Saheb, Fatuha Junction, Bakhtiyarpur Junction, Barh, Mokama, Hathidah Junction, Luckeesarai Junction, Kiul Junction, Kajra, Abhaipur, Dharhara, Jamalpur Junction, Bariarpur and Sultangaj stations. Train Number 04088 Anand Vihar Terminal-Jogbani Summer Special Express will depart from Anand Vihar Terminal on 17 April at 8:10 AM and arrive Jogbani at 7:50 AM. The train will halt at Ghaziabad, Aligarh Junction, Tundla Junction, Kanpur Central, Prayagraj Junction, Mirzapur, Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction, Dildarnagar Junction, Danapur, Patliputra, Begu Sarai, Khagaria Junction, Naugachia, Katihar Junction, Purnia Junction, Arariya court and Forbesganj stations. Train Number 04090 New Delhi-Rajgir Summer Special Express will depart from New Delhi on 16 April at 7:25 PM and arrive Rajgir at 4:55 PM. The train will halt at Moradabad, Bareilly, Shahjehanpur, Lucknow, Nihalgarh, Musafir Khana, Sultanpur, Jaunpur City, Varanasi Junction, Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction, Dildarnagar Junction, Buxar, Dumraon, Bihiya, Ara, Bihta, Danapur, Phulwari Sharif, Patna Junction, Rajendranagar T, Patna Saheb, Fatuha, Khusropur, Bakhtiyarpur Junction, Hamaut, Wena, Bihar Sharif and Nalanda stations.

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Maldives to offer holidaymakers vaccines on arrival in a push to revive tourism

Maldives will soon offer visitors vaccinations on arrival as part of its three-pronged initiative aimed at reviving the country’s hard hit travel sector, according to its tourism minister. The “3V” strategy, which encourages tourists to “visit, vaccinate, and vacation,” will provide a “more convenient” way to visit the country, Abdulla Mausoom told CNBC on Wednesday. At present, visitors to Maldives must provide a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and proof of hotel booking to gain entry. Mausoom said the country’s Health Protection Agency is set to make an announcement on restriction-free entry to vaccinated arrivals “very soon — maybe even this week.” Maldives, an archipelago state in South Asia renowned for its tropical beaches and pristine waters, is heavily dependent on its tourism industry. Around 67% of its gross domestic product (GDP) is derived directly and indirectly from the sector. The tourism minister would not be pushed on a timeline for the visitor vaccination rollout. He noted that the government’s priority is to ensure the entire resident population receives their first and second shots first. However, once that process is complete, the country will be ready to vaccinate arrivals, he said. To date, around 53% of the island nation’s approximately 530,000 residents have received their first dose, according to Reuters’ vaccination tracker. Some 90% of front-line tourism staff have received their first dose, said Mausoom. Mausoom did not state whether arrivals would be expected to pay for their shots, but he said that supply would not be an issue. He said the country has received vaccine donations from India, China, and the World Health Organization’s Covax scheme, which aims to ensure that vaccines are fairly and equitably distributed. Maldives has also ordered additional supplies from Singapore, he said. “I don’t think supply’s a problem in Maldives because our population is relatively small,” said Mausoom. “The quota we get from the various organizations and friendly nations also will help.” Mausoom said the tourism drive was a necessary strategy to help the country reach its target of 1.5 million tourist arrivals and 10 million bed nights this year. “When we reach this year’s target, still we will have a shortfall of what the country needs,” he said. “But still, that is much better than we anticipated in late 2020.” lready this year, Maldives has received 350,000 arrivals, as holidaymakers — primarily from nearby India — take advantage of the country’s limited entry requirements. Meantime, guests are booking longer stays, with many using the islands as a destination for so-called “workations” — or a working vacation. Mausoom said he is hopeful that will continue, with tourists staying to receive both their first and second doses. “Workation — working from Maldives is now becoming very trendy,” he said. “You see very rich executives, company executives, come here and they are based here.”

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Tahiti and Bora Bora islands to welcome travellers from May 1

If you have been dreaming for a long vacation on Bora Bora island, it’s likely your dream will soon become a reality. The Islands of Tahiti, including Bora Bora, Moorea, and Tahiti have announced to reopen their borders for tourists from May 1, 2021. As of now, it’s unclear whether the country will entertain forgein travellers from across the globe or only from some specific countries. Edouard Fritch, President of French Polynesia, made this important announcement after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France, has over 100 islands in the South Pacific Pacific Ocean. This is the country’s first month without any virus deaths and the COVID case numbers have also significantly gone down since January. On February 3, the country suspended travel from all origins, and people were travelling only if there was any ‘compelling reason’ related to health, profession, family, or return trips to home. Though the restriction was planned for three months, now the time has been cut short given the decreasing number of COVID-19 cases. Now that the opening dates have been announced, the country is planning on coming up with specific rules, regulations and restrictions. The country is still following curfew rules from 10 PM to 4 AM which will be in place till April 30. Fritch said, "We are going to put in place a protocol at the entry of our borders using virological testing, serological testing, vaccine, and ETIS (Electronic Travel Information System)." Data shows that there have been 18666 COVID-19 cases and 141 related deaths in the country since the starting of the pandemic.

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Air passengers to West Bengal asked to undergo RT-PCR test 72 hours before departure

The West Bengal government on Wednesday issued a directive to air passengers coming to the state from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and Telegana to carry reports of their RT-PCR negative status conducted 72 hours before boarding the flights, a senior official said. The directive was given in view of the surge in coronavirus cases in the country, mostly in the four states, he added. “The test has to be carried out 72 hours prior to the passenger’s departure for Bengal. There is no provision of getting the test done on arrival. The rule also applies for flights departing from the four states mentioned and are bound for Bagdogra and Andal (both in West Beengal) ,” he added. Bengal joins 10 other states that have imposed similar restriction, the official said.

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