US tells citizens to get out of India as Covid crisis deepens

The U.S. government told its citizens to leave India as soon as possible as the country’s Covid-19 crisis worsens at an astonishing pace.

In a Level 4 travel advisory --- the highest issued by the State Department -- 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 unprecedented Covid infections and deaths. Official data on Thursday showed new cases rose by a staggering 379,257 over the prior 24 hours, another record, while 3,645 additional lives were lost. More than 204,800 people have died.