Extending visas not valid for any foreign national travelling from China: MoH

The Ministry of Health (MoH) on Wednesday issued a revised travel advisory in wake of novel Coronavirus outbreak and said extending visas, including already issued eVisa, are no longer valid for any foreign national travelling from China.

"Existing visas, including already issued eVisa are no longer valid for any foreign national travelling from China," said the MoH in a statement.

The Ministry said intending visitors may contact Embassy in Beijing or the Consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou to apply afresh for an Indian visa.

It said people have already been advised to refrain from travel to China through an earlier advisory. "People traveling to China henceforth will be quarantined on return," the MoH said.

"The Indian Embassy in China continues to remain contactable round the clock on two hotline numbers +8618610952903 and +8618612083629 and the email -helpdesk.beijing@mea.gov.in. Indian nationals. In need of any assistance may get in touch with the Embassy on these hotlines and email," it added.

It said for any queries related to health, a person may contact on Ministry of Health and Family Welfare 24x7 helpline number +91-11-23978046 or email at ncov2019@gmail.com.

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, suspected patients in several states have been put under observation, including Kerala where nearly 2,421 of them are being monitored.Meanwhile, other states have also been taking precautionary measures to meet any eventuality in view of the swift spread of the virus.The virus originated in Wuhan in China's Hubei province in December and has since then spread to various parts around the world.Like the previous two, the third confirmed coronavirus case in India is of a student who came back from Wuhan. All three confirmed coronavirus cases are from Kerala.Meanwhile, China has imposed quarantine and travel restrictions, affecting the movement of 56 million people in more than a dozen cities, amid fears that the transmission rate will accelerate.