Covid Induced Travel Ban: New Jersey Man Stuck in India

Due to an increase in COVID cases across India, many countries have induced a travel ban. People travelling from India cannot enter the country or people from a foreign country cannot visit India. Many people who came to India got stuck here as travel is restricted now.

A New Jersey man who travelled to India sometime back to take care of his sick father got stuck here. Cases are increasing with the second wave. The concern has left many countries to decide the direction of a travel ban.

Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement that "On the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the administration will restrict travel from India due to extraordinarily high Covid-19 caseloads and multiple variants circulating in India." These new restrictions will take effect from May 4, read a report.

In the new policy, non-U.S. citizens who have been in India within 14 days are not eligible to travel to the US. These restrictions also apply to China and Iran.

Ashu Mahajan from New Jersey came to India in April. His 75-year-old father was hospitalized and Ashu came to take care of him. Sometime later to his arrival, his father died. Now Ashu doesn’t know what to do. He cannot even go back home.

Also Read: US Restricts Entry Of People From India, Conditions Apply

When asked about the situation wife Neha Mahajan shared that he cannot travel back home as of now. The consulates are closed. There is nothing we can do. The U.S. Consulate in India requires an in-person appointment but that cannot happen anytime soon. She added that the situation was not so bad when Ashu travelled to India. But in a couple of weeks, everything changed.

“However, the Biden administration exempted certain categories of students, academics, journalists, and individuals who provide critical infrastructure from the travel ban. Citizens and lawful permanent residents of the United States, their partners, minor children or siblings, and parents of citizens or lawful permanent residents under the age of 21 will be exempt from travel restrictions” read the report.