China on Thursday temporarily suspended the entry of all visa and residence permit holders from India in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The Chinese Embassy/Consulates in India will not stamp the Health Declaration Forms for the holders of the above-mentioned categories of visa or residence permits,” China said in a notice. The country said it would make adjustments in accordance with the ongoing pandemic situation.

Beijing said the notice would not affect foreigners holding Chinese diplomatic, service, courtesy and C visas. It said that foreigners who need to visit the country can submit a visa application to the Chinese embassy or consulates in India. “The entry into China with visas issued after November 3rd, 2020, is not affected,” the notice added.

China’s National Health Commission has blamed foreign travellers for a recent surge in coronavirus cases in the country, according to Business Insider. The country reported 49 new infections on November 2. Forty-four of them allegedly had originated from travellers, while five others were locally transmitted in the Xinjiang region.

On October 30, as many as 19 passengers on Air India’s Vande Bharat flight to Wuhan had tested positive for Covid-19 at Wuhan Airport in China. The airline later clarified that the passengers had negative Covid reports from certified labs before boarding the flight.

Meanwhile, India’s coronavirus count on Thursday reached 83,64,086 after a rise of 50,210 new infections. The toll went up by 704 to 1,24,315. There are 5,27,962 active cases, and 77,11,809 recoveries.