Indonesia to restrict foreign travellers coming from India over coronavirus

Indonesia will stop issuing visas for foreigners who have been in India in the past 14 days to prevent the spread of different coronavirus strains, its chief economic minister Airlangga Hartarto said on Friday.

Police officers stop a car at a checkpoint during a weekend lockdown to limit the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Mumbai, India, April 10, 2021. (Photo: Reuters)
Police officers stop a car at a checkpoint during a weekend lockdown to limit the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Mumbai, India, April 10, 2021. (Photo: Reuters)

Indonesians arriving from India will be allowed to enter, however, but must follow stricter health protocols and quarantine, the minister said. The measures are effective Sunday.

India on Friday reported the world's highest daily toll of new cases, surpassing 330,000. Deaths in the past 24 hours also jumped to a record 2,263, the health ministry said, while officials across northern and western India, including the capital, New Delhi, warned most hospitals were full and running out of oxygen.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met chief ministers of the worst-affected states, including the capital Delhi, the western state of Maharashtra and Modi's home state of Gujarat, to discuss the crisis.

Daily infections hit 332,730, up from 314,835 the previous day when India set a new record, surpassing one set by the United States in January of 297,430 new cases. The US tally has since fallen.

Reuters