The coronavirus outbreak is giving jitters to every person standing! A nation that ruled the top economies is in a “critical moment” of its fight against the coronavirus epidemic as the death toll and number of infections continued to soar. The novel coronavirus infection that first broke out in Wuhan, China, has spread to 25 countries so far.
Firstly, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) debate created unrest all over India affecting the tourism business, now the spread of coronavirus has whacked the coming of foreign tourists in the country. The coronavirus outbreak that showed its first signs in December last year was declared an international health emergency by the World Health Organization on January 30. When the global industries had its impact, it was the tourism that was the most beleaguered, the first to get impacted by this global catastrophe and may be the last to recover(we hope not, though!).
Chinese tourists are the highest-spending in the world. In 2018, they spent $277 billion – 1/5 of total international tourism spending, and more than Americans and Germans (the next two highest-spending) combined. Initial indications are that tourist destinations that are traditionally visited by the Chinese travelers are the worst affected, especially as the Chinese New Year holiday traffic cancelled in large numbers.
India takes the hit
Amidst rising toll from the deadly coronavirus in China and the infection spreading fast, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday said that the outbreak of the deadly virus could impact tourist arrivals and global trade. Two major Indian carriers – Air India and IndiGo have already suspended their flights to and from China. With fear and apprehension growing around the spread of the virus, several countries have shut their borders for the Chinese citizens and also those who visited the country recently.
Hours after India confirmed its first positive case of novel coronavirus, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. “The Ministry is in close touch with WHO and we have been informed that the announcement has come not just because of what is happening in China, but because of what is happening in other countries. The virus is now in 21 countries including India,” said a senior Health Ministry official.
Kerala
Three positive cases of coronavirus were reported from Kerala. On the wake of this, Kerala government declared the novel coronavirus as a ‘state calamity’ with the Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran saying the epidemic outbreak has begun affecting the tourism sector as hotel bookings have suffered mass cancellations. After the Nipah virus and deadly floods, the coronavirus outbreak has also adversely impacted the holiday industry as hotel bookings during the February-March months have been cancelled widely across the state.
Karnataka
Four Karnataka districts bordering Kerala — Kodagu, Mangaluru, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru — have been put on high alert in the wake of positive coronavirus cases in Kerala. Aiming at restricting the movement of people between Karnataka and Kerala, Mohan said the district health department has requested the planters’ associations to not move manpower. the Karnataka government has ordered that anybody arriving from the 23 coronavirus affected countries must stay in isolation at home for 28 days in a state surveillance bulletin of the Karnataka health and family welfare department.
Agra
In the wake of the deadly coronavirus, apparently a global disease, the Agra district administration of Uttar Pradesh has issued an alert to travel professionals to inform about the visits of any Chinese tourist in the city. The alert has been issued around Taj Mahal and famous monuments in the city.
Delhi
The Delhi government has issued a public health advisory on novel coronavirus after the deadly virus claimed the lives of nearly 500 people globally and left nearly 25,000 people infected. The advisory prescribed do’s and dont’s for the public to ward off any infection. The govt has also sets up a 24×7 control room for the citizens for any query related to virus, an official said.
China’s take
China is hoping that India will not put trade restrictions and limit movement of people to the country in the wake of the coronavirus epidemic in its Hubei province. In an interview to PTI, Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong said China’s foreign ministry and local governments are working hard to ensure the safety of Indians and people working in Indian diplomatic missions in China. Admitting that there could be a short-term impact of the epidemic on China’s economy, he said the country’s internal resilience is growing and it has ample resources and policy tools to cope with economic volatility.
WHO has announced an alert at all ports and now everyone with travel history to China from January 15 will have to undergo tests for the virus.
