The Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Goa has asked all foreigners ‘stuck’ in the state because of travel restrictions in view of the coronavirus outbreak to apply for visa extensions online.
The directive comes as several tourists who arrived in Goa for holiday are not able to return to their native countries.
In a statement to the media, the FRRO has asked the tourists to apply for the visa extension online and not to visit the office physically, to avoid the spread of the virus.
Goa is yet to register its first case of the coronavirus even as around 133 people remain in quarantine.
With arrivals of tourists stopped, flights have slowed down forcing airlines to fly in empty just to ferry passengers back which many of them are either reluctant to do or are staggering the flights which has forced tourists to extend their stay.
As of Thursday morning, India reported 173 coronavirus positive cases with four fatalities. Fifteen patients have recovered so far.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on the coronavirus crisis on Thursday evening, where he shared the magnitude of the crisis and laid down steps to be followed by the people to check the spread of coronavirus disease Covid-19.
In a nearly 30-minute national broadcast, he asked people to stay indoors and work from home as much as possible while underscoring the dangers of coronavirus, saying the world has never seen a crisis as grave as this.
