Coronavirus: Arunachal Pradesh has temporarily shut its door to foreigners
Highlights
- Sikkim announced similar curbs on visit of foreigners
- This is an effort to limit the impact of the disease in the area
- Coronavirus first emerged in China has spread to several countries now
The Arunachal Pradesh government has temporarily stopped issuing Protected Area Permits (PAPs) to foreigners to check the spread of coronavirus, officials said on Sunday, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
Foreigners need PAPs to enter the state that shares a border with China. Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar directed all PAP-issuing authorities to stop giving the permits till further orders, the officials said.
"It is learnt that Covid-19 (Novel Coronavirus) positive cases have been detected in India and the numbers have been increasing. It is also learnt that the spread of the coronavirus in India is primarily from visitors who had history of travelling abroad recently or through tourists who have visited India," the government order said.
"In order to prevent the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19) in Arunachal Pradesh, it has been decided to temporarily suspend issuing Protected Area Permit (PAP)," it said.
The move comes days after Sikkim announced similar curbs on visit of foreigners.
Bhutan has also shut its borders to foreign visitors for two weeks in an effort to limit the impact of the disease.
The virus that first emerged in China in December last year has spread to several countries and has infected over one lakh people, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus tracker. More than 3,500 people have died.
With inputs from PTI