bodyType

customContents

entityId

printArticlePageQuery

filter

article

body

urlAlias

articleSectionsContent

articleSeoArticle

articleSourceHeaderArticle

contentSchemaRenderContent

contentSubHeadlineContent

contentHeadlineContent

mainImagePrintArticleArticle

authorBlockPrintArticleArticle

contentSponsorTagContent

articlePianoPaywallContent

scmpYoutubeContent

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

query printArticlePageQuery(
  $entityId: String!
  $customContents: [CustomContentInput]
  $bodyType: BodyFormatTypeEnum
) {
  article(filter: {entityId: $entityId}) {
    entityId
    body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
      json
    }
    urlAlias
    ...articleSectionsContent
    ...articleSeoArticle_3o8td4
    ...articleSourceHeaderArticle
    ...contentSchemaRenderContent
    ...contentSubHeadlineContent
    ...contentHeadlineContent
    ...mainImagePrintArticleArticle
    ...authorBlockPrintArticleArticle
    ...contentSponsorTagContent
    ...articlePianoPaywallContent
    ...scmpYoutubeContent
    ...hooksTrackPageViewArticle
    id
  }
}

fragment articlePianoPaywallContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksPaywallPromiseContent
}

fragment articleSectionsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      ...helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection
      ...entityLink
      name
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment articleSeoArticle_3o8td4 on Article {
  ...hooksArticleSeoArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersGetArticleTypeArticle
  entityId
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
  summary {
    text
  }
  subHeadline {
    text
  }
  body(customContents: $customContents, type: $bodyType) {
    text
  }
  keywords
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  topics {
    name
    entityId
    id
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  images {
    style(filter: {style: "768x768"}) {
      url
    }
  }
  readingTime
}

fragment articleSourceHeaderArticle on Article {
  urlAlias
  ...entityLink
}

fragment authorBlockPrintArticleArticle on Article {
  ...defaultArticleDateContent
  ...authorNamesArticle
}

fragment authorNameAuthor on Author {
  ...entityLink
  name
  entityUuid
}

fragment authorNamesArticle on Article {
  authorLocations
  authors {
    entityId
    location
    ...authorNameAuthor
    id
  }
}

fragment blockquoteQuoteContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment contentHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  socialHeadline
  ...contentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
}

fragment contentNewsletterWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
    id
  }
  sections {
    value {
      relatedNewsletters {
        ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
        id
      }
      id
    }
  }
  ... on Article {
    relatedNewsletters {
      ...helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment contentSchemaRenderContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...blockquoteQuoteContent
  ...imageContent
  ...inlineWidgetContent
  ...photoGalleryWidgetContent
  ...scmpYoutubeContent
}

fragment contentShareWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  shortUrl
  socialHeadline
  headline
}

fragment contentSponsorTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersUseContentSponsorContent
}

fragment contentSubHeadlineContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  subHeadline {
    json
  }
  summary {
    json
  }
  ...contentSchemaRenderContent
}

fragment defaultArticleDateContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...hooksArticleDateUtilsContent
}

fragment entityLink on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  __typename
  entityId
  entityUuid
  urlAlias
  urlRedirect {
    toUrl
    id
  }
  application {
    entityId
    id
  }
  ... on Section {
    fullSectionPath {
      entityId
      id
    }
    parentSection
  }
  ...helpersAppBarVariantBase
  ...helpersApplicationBase
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersAppBarVariantBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsLiveArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...helpersSectionContent
  ...helpersStyleSectionContent
}

fragment helpersApplicationBase on BaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias {
  __isBaseWithApplicationAndUrlAlias: __typename
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesPage
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusPage
}

fragment helpersCheckIfNewsSectionInFirstIndexSection on Section {
  name
}

fragment helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle on Article {
  entityId
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  disableOffPlatformContent
  sponsorType
  published
  ...helpersCheckIsPlusArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment helpersCheckIsLiveArticle on Article {
  flattenTypeIds
  liveArticle {
    status
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    paywallTypes {
      entityUuid
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPlusPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle on Article {
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersCheckIsPostiesPage on Page {
  urlAlias
}

fragment helpersCheckIsStyleArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  sections {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersGetArticleTypeArticle on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        entityId
        id
      }
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersMassageToNewsletterItemNewsletter on Newsletter {
  entityId
  name
  alternativeName
  description {
    text
  }
  summary {
    text
  }
  homepageDescription {
    text
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle on Article {
  authors {
    types
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle on Article {
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersStyleSectionContent on Section {
  fullSectionPath {
    entityId
    id
  }
}

fragment helpersUseContentSponsorContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  topics {
    entityId
    sponsor {
      ...sponsorTagSponsor
      name
      type
      id
    }
    id
  }
  ... on Article {
    sponsorType
  }
  ...helpersCheckIsMainTopicContent
}

fragment hooksArticleDateUtilsContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  createdDate
  publishedDate
  updatedDate
}

fragment hooksArticleSeoArticle on Article {
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsPostMagazineArticle
  ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  ...hooksContentHeadlineTagContent
  ...helpersCheckIsAmpEnabledArticle
  entityId
  headline
  socialHeadline
  types {
    value {
      entityId
      id
    }
  }
  authors {
    entityId
    id
  }
  images {
    generic_og: style(filter: {style: "og_image_scmp_generic"}) {
      url
    }
    styles(filter: {styles: ["og_image_posties_article", "og_postmag", "og_image_style", "og_image_scmp_analysis", "og_image_scmp_explainer", "og_image_scmp_editorial", "og_image_scmp_fact_check", "og_image_scmp_debate", "og_image_scmp_live", "og_image_scmp_obituary", "og_image_scmp_opinion", "og_image_scmp_review", "og_image_scmp_series", "og_image_scmp_generic"]}) {
      url
      style
    }
    type
  }
  urlAlias
}

fragment hooksContentHeadlineTagContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ... on Article {
    types {
      value {
        name
        entityId
        description {
          text
        }
        id
      }
    }
    ...helpersCheckIsStyleArticle
  }
  flag
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  ...hooksContentHelperContent
}

fragment hooksContentHelperContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...helpersSanitizeArticleTypeEntityIdsArticle
  ...helpersSanitizeAuthorTypesArticle
  ...helpersSanitizedAuthorEntityIdsArticle
  flag
}

fragment hooksPaywallPromiseContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  ...helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle
}

fragment hooksTrackPageViewArticle on Article {
  entityId
  publishedDate
  headline
  sections {
    value {
      name
      id
    }
  }
  urlAlias
  authors {
    name
    id
  }
  entityUuid
}

fragment imageContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  headline
  ...checkersCheckContentContainsStarlingImageContent
}

fragment inlineWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...contentNewsletterWidgetContent
}

fragment mainImagePrintArticleArticle on Article {
  images {
    title
    url
    isSlideshow
    size_652x446: style(filter: {style: "652x446"}) {
      url
    }
  }
}

fragment photoGalleryDialogContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  __typename
  ...contentShareWidgetContent
}

fragment photoGalleryWidgetContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  ...photoGalleryDialogContent
}

fragment scmpYoutubeContent on Content {
  __isContent: __typename
  entityId
  urlAlias
  publishedDate
}

fragment sponsorTagSponsor on Sponsor {
  name
  type
  images {
    url
  }
}


sections

types

disableOffPlatformContent

sponsorType

published

headline

socialHeadline

authors

images

publishedDate

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

keywords

topics

readingTime

authorLocations

entityUuid

Natasha Khullar Relph

When she arrived at the airport in Rome in mid-March, Indian citizen Janice Pariat was told she would no longer be permitted to board her flight home. The Indian government had issued a directive that anyone flying into the country from Italy, among other nations, would have to provide a health certificate saying they were Covid-19 negative.
This was impossible for Pariat, because, as far as she knew, the only way to get tested was if you were showing symptoms.
She tried reaching out to the Indian embassy in Italy only to find that it had ceased all embassy services, except for one emergency hotline number which was no longer functional. 
As Covid-19 spread around the world, border closures and grounded flights were to be expected as governments took steps to ensure the safety of their citizens. Many countries asked their nationals and residents abroad to return home and kept their borders open for this purpose while others, including the United Kingdom, extended visas for foreigners to ensure they would be legally in the country.
India, however, went a different way. On March 11, it suspended all foreign visas except for diplomatic, official, United Nations/international organisations, employment and project visas. This suspension included the “visa free” entry privileges of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card holders – people with Indian heritage and foreign passports who continue to have close ties with the country. India does not allow dual citizenship.
Then, in an unprecedented move, India on March 18 closed its borders to its own citizens flying in from Europe, including the UK and Turkey, leaving thousands stranded overseas and unable to return home.
There was sheer panic in the days following the announcement as Indian citizens abroad – tourists, students, employees – desperately tried to book flights home.
The situation at the airports was frantic, said Pariat. “Rules were just being dropped like bombs, and without a thought to how that was affecting people and their journeys back home.”


Pariat eventually found a flight to New Delhi via Berlin. After having her temperature taken and answering several questions, she was asked to go home and self-isolate, a few days before the borders closed and one of the largest and toughest lockdowns in the world was imposed.
India on Tuesday extended the lockdown until May 3, with all domestic and international flights suspended until then.
Coronavirus: in India, a Chinese traveller faces xenophobia as cases rise
For Michael M, an American who has lived with his Indian partner in New Delhi for almost 10 years, the ruling has meant an indefinite separation from his partner and their eight-year-old twins.
As a gay couple, their relationship is not recognised by the Indian government. His partner is an OCI and Michael is on a long-term tourist visa. He left the country to comply with his visa conditions and has been unable to return.
“The government’s decision was made too fast,” he said. “If there had been any warning, people like me could have worked it out, instead of being in another country.”
His family is more vulnerable in situations like this, he said, because the rules make it even harder for them to seek and receive help.


Devika Jhala, who lives with her 73-year-old mother in Kolkata, was on holiday in Barbados when the lockdown was announced, with as little as four hours notice. She is still in Barbados, staying with friends.
While she understands the need for the lockdown, she felt better support could have been offered to residents and citizens who wanted to return home. Even if she had been able to take her flight to Delhi, internal travel restrictions mean she would not have been able to get to Kolkata.
“I’m taking it day by day, trying not to panic,” she said.
Coronavirus: India’s elderly taking the brunt of lockdown
Jhala’s major concern is her mother getting sick and not being able to have her family at her bedside. “It’s lonely. It’s the mental toll that India doesn’t talk about or even consider.”
There are an estimated 1 million Indian students abroad. Over 500 of those studying in Bangladesh filed a court petition pleading to be repatriated, but these evacuations have been limited to severely hit countries such as China, Italy, and Iran. Two Air India flights evacuated about 200 students and pilgrims.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a video conference with Indian embassies on March 30, urging them to attend to citizens stuck abroad. “He called on heads of Indian missions to help boost the morale of such compatriots abroad, and to help them address issues arising from their unplanned stay abroad,” the external affairs ministry said.

But Pariat received no help from the embassy in Italy. “All the information we managed to get was thanks to friends and contacts in India,” she said.
“For me, what was most frightening was not knowing when you’re going to see your family, your partner, again. And suddenly feeling like there is no bridge across which you can travel. Suddenly, everything is closed, and what was worse was the precariousness of not knowing how things were going to be from minute to minute, hour to hour, because things were changing so fast.”


How India’s coronavirus border closures and lockdown affected Indians travelling overseas

Thousands of Indian citizens and residents were stranded overseas when India announced strict measures to control the spread of Covid-19. Photo: Reuters

Aircrafts are seen parked on a runway at the Chhatrapati Shivaji domestic airport in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, March 25, 2020. The world's largest democracy went under the world's biggest lockdown Wednesday, with India's 1.3 billion people ordered to stay home in a bid to stop the coronavirus pandemic from spreading and overwhelming its fragile health care system as it has done elsewhere. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.(AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

14 April 2020, India, Kolkata: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seen on a smartphone and a screen announcing the extension of the coronavirus lockdown until early May. Photo: Avishek Das/SOPA Images via ZUMA Wire/dpa

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Coronavirus


Thousands of Indian citizens and residents are stranded overseas after the government closed borders and implemented a strict lockdown
The short notice given for these measures meant many people had no time to make alternative plans, and are now separated from their loved ones



The short notice for the border closures meant many people had no time to make alternative plans, and are now separated from their loved ones.


How India’s coronavirus border closures and lockdown affected Indians travelling overseas

Thousands of Indian citizens and residents are stranded overseas after the government closed borders and implemented a strict lockdown The short notice given for these measures meant many people had no time to make alternative plans, and are now separated from their loved ones

Thousands of Indian citizens and residents are stranded overseas after the government closed borders and implemented a strict lockdown

The short notice given for these measures meant many people had no time to make alternative plans, and are now separated from their loved ones