Americans urged to leave India as COVID-19 cases surge

ANKARA

The US urged Americans not to go to India “or leave as soon as it is safe to do so" as the coronavirus crisis there deepens.

"New cases and deaths from COVID-19 have risen sharply throughout India to record levels. COVID-19 testing infrastructure is reportedly constrained in many locations," the US Embassy and Consulates in India said in a statement. "Hospitals are reporting shortages of supplies, oxygen, and beds for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 related patients."

A Level 4 travel advisory, the highest level issued so far, and a Level 4 travel health notice were issued late Wednesday by the State Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), respectively.

The agencies urged Americans who want to leave India to "take advantage of available commercial transportation options now."

India has the second-highest infections tally in the world after the US, with more than 18.3 million cases and it has recorded over 204,000 fatalities, according to data by US-based Johns Hopkins University.