India Events Close Due to Coronavirus

India Events Close Due to Coronavirus

The Mumbai-based India RechargExpo has been forced to close its doors thanks to the global coronavirus crisis.

Scheduled for March 12-14, organiser Nirmal Hota told RT’s David Gibbons, “We continue to watch the situation closely,”

With the rapid spread of Covid-19 across continents, and WHO formally terming the disease a pandemic, the Indian government decided to quarantine itself from the rest of the world, suspending all visas, except those issued for diplomatic, official, UN-international organisations, employment and projects till April 15.

According Times of India, the exception to the suspension indicates personnel from agencies like WHO or UN and those held to be important for Indian firms or government projects are being distinguished from tourists and other travellers. Visa-free travel facility to Overseas Citizen of India cardholders will be in abeyance till the same date and a foreign national seeking to travel to India have to state a compelling reason to an Indian mission.

The decisions were announced after a group of ministers headed by health minister Harsh Vardhan met to review and take stock of the Covid-19 situation domestically and abroad. Though the numbers in India are going up incrementally, the spread of the virus to more than 100 countries spurred the government’s decision to opt for a “nuclear” response to the threat by significantly isolating India.

According to Hota, the domestic “Indian Recharger” expo in Bangalore is still going ahead at this stage on May 9 and 10.

It is also advisable to check for updates and details of RT’s events in 2020. RT also plans to run a VIP expo in three cities in India in March 2021, bringing together big buyers and Chinese suppliers for an invitation-only series of intense one-day expos and gala dinners. Contact Dhruv Mahajan in New Delhi for more details.

How are you impacted by India events forced to close due to the coronavirus? Add your comments below.