India suspends visas issued to Chinese passport holders before Feb 5

The restriction is not applicable to people of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan

As the death toll crossed over 500 in the coronavirus outbreak, immigration officials have suspended all visas issued before February 5 to all Chinese passport holders from any part of the world, apart from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

"All visas issued to Chinese passport holders coming from anywhere in the world, including regular (sticker) and e-visa issued before February 5, have been suspended with immediate effect," the officials said.

"The above restriction on travel is not applicable to the Chinese passport holders of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan," they added.

The officials stated that in case of compelling reasons to travel to India, such persons may get in touch with the Indian Embassy in Beijing or consulates in Shanghai and Guangzhou for a new visa.

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travel advisory in wake of the coronavirus outbreak and said extending visas, including already issued eVisa, are no longer valid for any foreign national travelling from China.

The ministry said that intending visitors may contact the Indian 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.

The ministry also 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.