US President Biden has issued a ban on travellers from India since India is witnessing the worst wave of Covid. The ban begins from Tuesday 4th May and is for an indefinite period and will require another presidential proclamation to end it.

Certain categories exempted from the restrictions are students, journalists, US nationals, green card holders, their non-citizen spouses and children below 21 years of age.

As per the proclamation signed by Biden on Friday, "I have determined that it is in the interests of the United States to take action to restrict and suspend the entry into the United States, as non-immigrants, of non-citizens of the United States who were physically present within the Republic of India during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry into the United States."

The decision regarding the ban was taken by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which determined India is experiencing person to person transmission of SARS-Cov-2. Biden also added that new cases are accelerating in India at a rapid rate.

According to the State Department, the travel ban states that students seeking to commence studies in the fall, academics, journalists and individuals who provide critical infrastructure support in countries affected by a geographic Covid-19 restriction may qualify for the exception. This includes qualified applicants who have been present in India, Brazil, China, Iran, or South Africa. 

(media reports)