Travel from India to US will be restricted from May 4: White House

The US on Friday announced travel restrictions from India effective from May 4 owing to the second wave of Covid-19 infections that has devastated the country. 

Addressing the White House Press Corps, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that the decision has been taken on the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Asked what prompted the travel ban, the White House Press Secretary cited "extraordinarily high Covid-19 caseloads" and "multiple variants" of the infection identified in India. 

Earlier this week, the US issued a Level 4 travel advisory, asking its citizens to leave India as soon as possible. The State Department had urged American citizens "not to travel to India or to leave as soon as it is safe to do so". 

Quoting a White House official, news agency Reuters had on Friday reported that the Biden administration was set to make a formal announcement restricting travel from India. 

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday extended the suspension of international flights to and from India till May 31 in light of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.