YANGON: More than 2,500 Myanmar pilgrims stranded in Bodh Gaya in the northeast Indian state of Bihar will be brought home next week.
The Myanmar Times said the pilgrims had been stuck in the ancient city since the Indian government closed its borders last week to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, which has infected 102 people in the country.
“We have arranged to bring them home on March 22 on chartered flights with Myanmar Airways International, Myanmar National Airlines, Indigo Airlines and India Air,” the Bodh Gaya Pilgrimage Committee said recently.
The Indian government banned tourist arrivals on regular visas from Friday until April 15 and discouraged unnecessary travel.
It urged tour companies to give travellers refunds for cancelled Bodh Gaya trips, said committee member U Maung Maung Myint.
Tour operators said 70 per cent of the more than 7,000 trips to Bodh Gaya sold this month were cancelled. More than 200 companies offer Bodh Gaya tours, of which more than 80 belong to the committee under Religious Affairs and Culture Ministry.
About 40,000 Myanmar nationals travel to Bodh Gaya every year. It is famous among Hindus and Buddhists as the place where Gautama Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree.