India has been fighting the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic which has hit the country quite severely the second year in a row. India’s medical infrastructure has been under immense pressure and has been overwhelmed by the number of cases it has to deal with. There is currently a shortage of ICU and oxygen beds in the most affected pandemic centres across India. On the morning of May 1st 2021, India reported a gasping record of 4 lakh plus positive Covid-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours. The American Consulate has issued a notice on 30th April putting India on a Level 4 Health Advisory list.
The United States Consulate advised its citizens to not travel to India citing the bad situation of the country due to effects of widespread pandemic. India has been put on its Level 4 Advisory list – the highest issued by the Department of State. The Health Alert put out by the US Embassy & Consulates in India on their website can be read here.
Sponsored LinksThe Alert states that “Access to all types of medical care is becoming severely limited in India due to the surge in Covid-19 cases. U.S. citizens who wish to depart India should take advantage of available commercial transportation options now. Direct flights between India and the United States are offered daily, with additional flight options available to U.S. citizens via transfers in Paris and Frankfurt.
We urge U.S. citizens to enroll in STEP at step.state.gov in order to receive critical information from the Embassy related to health and safety in India.
Please visit the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare website for the latest information on travel restrictions.”
The US Embassy website also lists phone numbers for assistance from the US Embassy located in the cities of New Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai.
Sponsored LinksThe US Embassy also states that the Level 4 Advisory is the highest state as the situation in India can be a life threatening risk and that the Consulate might not be able to assist in full capacity in case of any emergency. Thus the US Embassy has advised any citizens currently in India to leave the country as soon as possible when safe and make use of the flights that are still active before a complete lockdown is implemented.
On 29th April, the USA dispatched their first of several emergency Covid-19 relief shipments to India via its large cargo capacity military aircrafts. The first batch of the shipment contains 440 Oxygen regulators & cylinders donated by the state of California, 9, 60, 000 Rapid Diagnostic Tests to identify early infections to prevent community spread of Covid-19 and 1, 00, 000 N95 masks for use by India’s frontline workers – information provided by United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The USAID has been supporting India’s efforts since the beginning of the pandemic as it has provided India with over $23 million in assistance directly reaching 10 million (1 crore) Indians. The USAID also added it is arranging a supply of 1,000 medical oxygen concentrators to be used in 320 primary health care facilities. The US Secretary of Defence thanked US Transport Command & Defence Logistics for rapidly preparing USAID supplies for shipping.
Sponsored Links