By Lalit K Jha
Vice President Kamala Harris has described the coronavirus situation in India as “tragic” and said the US has made a commitment to support the country in battling the challenge.
“There is no question that it is a great tragedy, in terms of the loss of life, and as I have said before, and I will say again, we as a country have made a commitment to the people of India to support them,” Harris told reporters on Friday in Cincinnati, Ohio.
“We have already made a commitment in terms of a dollar amount that will go to PPE and a number of other things. But it is tragic. My prayers go to the people on the suffering, the blatant suffering that is happening,” Harris said in response to a question.
Earlier the White House announced restrictions on travel from India because of “extraordinarily high COVID-19 caseloads” and multiple variants circulating there”.
Harris said she hasn’t spoken to her family in India since the news of the ban was made public.
On the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Administration will restrict travel from India starting May 4, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki had said.
“The policy will be implemented in light of extraordinarily high COVID-19 caseloads and multiple variants circulating in India,” Psaki said in a statement. PTI
