COVID-19: Tourism Ministry Issues Guidelines To Hotel Industry

New Delhi: The Tourism ministry has issued an advisory to the hotel industry in the light of the outbreak of COVID-19 and the ensuing panic in different parts of the country. The advisory makes it clear that there cannot be a complete ban on tourists and that those with no exposure to the novel coronavirus should not be barred.

The Union Government's advisory comes against the backdrop of the Sikkim government's decision to ban all foreign nationals in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. With a man from Ghaziabad testing positive after returning from Iran, 30 cases of COVID-19 have been reported across India. Three of them from Kerala have since been discharged.

Here are some of the other updates:

• Six people in Agra related to a man who tested positive for COVID-19, have been quarantined.

• 15 Italian tourists and their Indian driver have been kept in isolation facilities after they tested positive for COVID-19.

• Authorities have been tracking everyone they would have come in contact with including employees in the hotels they stayed in.

• The Health minister announced in the parliament on Thursday, that the government is increasing the number of labs to 50 from 15.

• If the outbreak becomes a major one, bigger isolation facilities will be set up, the Health ministry said, while stressing that there is no need to panic at this stage.

• Meanwhile, the Indian Air Force banned all social gatherings and asked units to conduct health check-ups of all personnel. IAF personnel and their families have been advised against going to malls and public places.

• Air India has decided to operate special flights to evacuate 1200 Indians stranded in Iran.