Emmanuel Macron said he wanted “send a message of solidarity to Indian people” (File)
New Delhi:
France stands ready to provide support to India’s fight against coronavirus, said French President Emmanuel Macron, as the country reported over three lakh cases in 24 hours for the second consecutive day today.
“I want to send a message of solidarity to the Indian people, facing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. France is with you in this struggle, which spares no-one. We stand ready to provide our support,” French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain tweeted Macron’s message today.
❝I want to send a message of solidarity to the Indian people, facing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. France is with you in this struggle, which spares no-one. We stand ready to provide our support.❞
— President Emmanuel Macron
— Emmanuel Lenain (@FranceinIndia) April 23, 2021
India reported 3,32,730 new COVID-19 cases with 2,263 fatalities in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry said. The country’s caseload has crossed 1.62 crores. The death count stands at 1,86,920.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in an address to the nation Tuesday evening, called the second Covid wave a “toofan” (storm) that has swept through the country.
The worsening COVID-19 situation has seen a surge in the demand for medical oxygen and beds and many states are reporting an acute shortage of oxygen, beds and essential medicines.
With the COVID-19 situation worsening, many countries have imposed travel restrictions on travellers from India.
France on Wednesday announced that it will impose a 10-day quarantine for travellers arriving from India in the coming days to prevent the spread of a COVID-19 variant found in India.
The UAE has banned travel from India for 10 days from Sunday. Passengers who have transited through India in the last 14 days are also not permitted to board from any other point to the UAE, the Gulf News reported.
Recently, the United Kingdom added India to its travel “red list” on a precautionary basis after reporting 103 cases of a coronavirus variant first identified in India. The Russian Embassy’s visa section temporarily ceased its operations until further notice due to India’s COVID-19 situation, it announced on Monday.
The United States has also issued a “Level 4 (Very High)” warning for potential travellers to India asking them to “avoid all travel” to the country even if they are fully vaccinated.
Hong Kong on Tuesday announced the suspension of all flights connecting India for 14 days amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the region. The authorities have also suspended flights from Pakistan and the Philippines.