US Tells Citizens To Leave India As Covid Swamps Hospitals

In a Level 4 travel advisory --- the highest issued by the Department of State -- U.S. citizens were told "not to travel to India or to leave as soon as it is safe to do so."

The U.S. government told its citizens to leave India as soon as possible because of the country's escalating Covid-19 crisis. #India: Access to medical care is severely limited due to COVID-19 cases. U.S. citizens wishing to depart should use available commercial options now. Daily direct flights to the US and flights via Paris and Frankfurt are available. https://t.co/p5a3v5ws9ypic.twitter.com/LqHhCiZVEg In a Level 4 travel advisory --- the highest issued by the Department of State -- U.S. citizens were told "not to travel to India or to leave as soon as it is safe to do so." There are 14 direct daily flights between India and the U.S. and other services that connect through Europe, the department said. Indian authorities and hospitals are struggling to cope with record Covid-19 infections and deaths. Official data on Wednesday showed new infections rose by 360,960 in the prior 24 hours, while 3,293 additional lives were lost -- both a record for the country. India has the world's fastest-growing caseload.