U.S. restricting travel from India amid raging COVID outbreak

The U.S. will restrict travel from India beginning May 4, as COVID-19 ravages the world's second-largest country. 

The White House announced the new policy on Friday afternoon. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has already declared India "very high risk," and recommended that Americans avoid all travel to India.  "On the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Administration will restrict travel from India starting immediately," White House press secretary Jen Psaki's office said in a statement. "The policy will be implemented in light of extraordinarily high COVID-19 caseloads and multiple variants circulating in the India. The policy will take effect on Tuesday, May 4."