Tourism Ministry launches 'Stranded in India' portal to extend support to foreign tourists

The Tourism Ministry of India on Tuesday launched a 'Stranded in India' portal in order to extend support to the foreign tourists who are stranded in India amid the Coronavirus crisis. According to an official release, the portal will disseminate information regarding services that can be availed by foreign tourists. It further stated that the ministry is "constantly staying vigilant and encouraging various initiatives to help the ones in need."

Further, according to the release, the portal consists of information that can be used by the tourists including the comprehensive information about the Coronavirus, helpline numbers or call centres that tourists can reach out to, information related to the Ministry of External Affairs' control centres along with their contact information, information about the state-based or regional tourism support infrastructure, and the health support section. 

As per reports, the website will be featured on the Tourism Website and other prominent Ministry of Tourism channels.

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COVID-19 cases in India

As of date, India has reported over 1,200 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19. Out of all the states, Kerala and Maharashtra have reported the highest number of cases in the country. Meanwhile, around 32 people have died so far due to the deadly virus. Further, India has also closed the India-Pakistan border and restricted passenger movement at the border with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and Myanmar. Due to the Coronavirus crisis, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24 announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown in order to curb the spread of the virus. 

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The Coronavirus crisis

At present, there are around 786,270 confirmed cases of COVID-19 which has led to the death of around 37,830 people across the world. Around 165,660 people have reportedly also recovered. The US has reported the most number of COVID-19 cases in the world with over 1.4 lakh people infected with the virus.

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