'Stay put' where you are: MEA to Indians abroad

Amid restrictions on the entry of passengers from various countries, the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday urged Indians stranded in various parts of the world to "stay put" and said Indian missions are trying their best to provide them support.

Dammu Ravi, additional secretary MEA in charge of coordinating the efforts to counter COVID-19, said it is not advisable for people to move from one region to another region in the wake of coronavirus outbreak.

"This must be understood in the context of the gravity of the crisis. These restrictions are temporary, so one should not panic. If Indians are held up in some places, our advice would be to stay put," he said.

"Our missions, our ambassadors are at the forefront to support these stranded Indians. They are reaching out to them and addressing their concerns. To the extent possible, we are doing our best," he said.

Sources said the government is requesting other countries to extend the visas for Indians who are stranded in those nations, in the same manner India has facilitated visa-extensions for foreign nationals.

The MEA advice to stay put came just before the Centre issued a statement that no international flight would be allowed to land in India from March 22 onwards for a period of one week.

The Ministry of External Affairs has already established a functional helpline for coordination on COVID-19, which has been functioning 24x7 at South Block.

The telephone numbers of the Control Room are 1800118797 (toll free), +91-11-23012113, +91-11-23014104 and +91-11-23017905 (Fax number - +91-11-23018158) and the email is covid19@mea.gov.in.

In addition to the above helplines, various officers have been designated to provide assistance for the respective geographical areas.

The ministry will also "beef up" its control room to serve more people, officials said.

The government, which on Monday banned the entry of passengers from EU countries, Turkey and the UK from March 18 till March 31, also closed its doors to those from Afghanistan, the Philippines and Malaysia with immediate effect, according to an additional travel advisory.