India expects countries to ease travel restrictions on Indians as the COVID-19 situation normalises in the country, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) today.
During a weekly press briefing, MEA spokesperson Arnidam Bagchi said: "We expect countries to ease travel restrictions on Indians as the situation normalises, some countries have started, more should follow."
In the wake of the second wave of COVID-19, several countries imposed travel restrictions on Indian travellers. These include the United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Europe, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Thailand and Sri Lanka, among others.
Several countries have recently relaxed tourist visa rules for Indians, including the Maldives, Nepal and the UAE.
On a query on the World Health Organization undertaking a global study into the origin of the COVID-19 virus, the MEA spokesperson said it an "important first step" and sought international cooperation for further studies.
"WHO is undertaking global study, it is an important first step. You recall our statement, we also sought cooperation for further studies (to find out the origin of the COVID-19 virus)," Mr Bagchi said.
This comes amid reports that the WHO is expected to restudy the "dominant theory" that the SARS-CoV-2 probably originated and spread across the world from China's Wuhan lab.
According to CNN, previously overlooked Chinese data on extensive screening of animals for coronavirus around the time the pandemic erupted is among several areas identified for further study by WHO scientists investigating the origins of the virus, as per a source.
