Indian Embassy in US seeks to address travel advisory concerns, issue multiple helplines

The Indian Embassy here on Thursday (local time) issued multiple 24x7 helplines to address queries regarding the Indian government's recent travel advisory which suspended all visas with some exceptions in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.

The embassy set up as many as 10 helpline numbers for different regions in the US.

"For applicants residing in Bermuda, Delaware, District of Columbia, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia, please send details atons4.washingtonmea.qov.in, Tel: 202-213-1364 and 202-262-0375. For applicants residing in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee and the Virgin Islands, please send details at cons.atlantamea.ciov.in Tel: 404-910-7919 and 404-924-9876," the embassy said in the statement.

Applicants residing in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin can contact 312-687-3642 and 312-468-3276.

For Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and Nebraska, the embassy issued a helpline number 713-626-2149 and for people from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, the helpline numbers are -- 212-774-0607/347-721-9243.

"For applicants residing in Alaska, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming, please send an email at oci2.sfmeasiov.in, Tel: 415 483 6629," the statement read.

India on Thursday suspended all visas with some exceptions including diplomatic and official travel as coronavirus cases continue to proliferate around the world. The Indian Embassy in the US had issued an advisory on travel to India.

In a statement, the embassy said that the visa-free travel facility granted to Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cardholders is kept in abeyance till April 15.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic.

Coronavirus, which originated in the Wuhan city of China, has so far spread to more than 100 countries infecting over 1,20,000 people. India has confirmed 73 cases of the lethal infection.