As the COVID-19 crisis continues to worsen in India, the U.S. Department of State has issued a Level 4 advisory to its citizens.
The fight against COVID-19 has yet to end. Despite the apparent rollout of vaccines across the globe, the surge of cases and deaths continues to increase these past few weeks.
Among all the countries that remain in peril, India seemingly experiences the worst today. As it happens, the second wave that has hit the nation has become increasingly devastating for its citizens.
As the challenges persist, the United States government has issued a Level 4 Travel Health Notice to its residents. The Hindu noted that this is the “highest level of advisory” in the country’s Department of State.
About the Level 4 health advisory
Upon the issuance of the advisory, the U.S. government has urged its citizens to leave India “as soon as it is safe” to do so. It has also discouraged Americans from traveling to the Asian country because of the escalating COVID-19 crisis in the nation.
The advisory has also emphasized that medical care access in India has now become “severely limited” due to the pandemic. Accordingly, all U.S. citizens should now opt for direct flights from India to the United States.
COVID-19 in India
The health notice from the Department of State comes as India “struggles to cope” with the current surge of new cases and deaths due to the pandemic. Business Today said that the healthcare system has now even “crumbled under the immense pressure.”
In the official announcement, the government also emphasized that the cases and deaths “have risen sharply throughout India to record levels” these past few days. Aside from the reported constraints in testing infrastructures, there are alleged ”shortages of supplies, oxygen, and beds” for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients.
As this occurrence continues to develop, reports said that several counties have already banned flights from and to India. Aside from the United States, the United Kingdom, France, U.A.E., Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore are among others.
Latest data on cases and deaths
Several locals have since reportedly deemed the crisis as a “COVID tsunami” because of all the unprecedented instances. BBC also said that while Delhi has become the “worst affected city” in India, similar accounts are now also coming from much smaller cities and towns.
On Thursday, the Asian country reported a total of 314,546 new cases of COVID-19. As for the number of deaths, the figure has reached more than 2,400.
Images courtesy of World Health Organization (WHO)/YouTube