Delhi govt declares epidemic, cinema halls shut till March 31
Updates of Coronavirus Outbreak: The total of number coronavirus cases in India climbed 73 Thursday morning as the World Health Organisation declared the outbreak a global pandemic. Last night, India moved towards a lockdown by cancelling most visas issued to foreign nationls. According to the WHO, globally there currently more than 1,24,000 cases of coronavirus across 118 countries. More than 4,600 people have lost their lives due the virus. For the latest updates on coronavirus outbreak, stay tuned to IndiaToday.in
Visa suspension may cost Rs 8,500 crore for travel, tourism, aviation sectors
The coronavirus pandemic could bring Indian travel, tourism and aviation industries to a halt within next ten days, especially with the government suspending visas for a month, a move that could cause an immediate economic impact of at least Rs 8,500 crore, according to industry players.
Industry bodies, including Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), and ASSOCHAM, foresee job losses in the sectors as companies try to tide over the situation by removing non-essential workforces and stopping the recruitment, while calling the Centre to review the decision to suspend visas for a month and allow inbound travel through limited gateway cities.
“The ban on travel to India for a period of one month will have a cascading economic impact and will lead to job losses in the entire hotel, aviation and travel sector. We estimate that it will lead to direct loss of not less than Rs 8,500 crore,” IATO Secretary Rajesh Mudgill.
