søndag 29. mars 2020

Coronavirus: UK tourists in India complain of being 'abandoned' by government

Britons in India say they have been left "abandoned" with "no help whatsoever" from the UK government. The entire country, which has a population of 1.3 billion, was put under lockdown on 23 March with less than four hours notice, in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus. A petition to repatriate UK citizens has gained more than 25,000 signatures.

The Foreign Office said it was working "around the clock" to support British travellers and help them return home. It said it recognised many British nationals had been finding it difficult to return to the UK due to "unprecedented international travel and domestic restrictions". Announcing the lockdown, India's prime minister, Narendra Modi, said there would be a total ban on people leaving their homes for 21 days. He appealed for people not to panic - but crowds quickly mobbed stores in major cities and correspondents say it is not clear how people will be able to access food and other essentials.