By IANS,
New Delhi : Even as India’s commercial capital was forced to shut down due to swine flu, the diplomatic community in Delhi remains unfazed despite the gathering hysteria over H1N1 influenza.
An inquiry at the larger missions in the capital pointed out that there has been no shutdown or any major drive undertaken in the light of the recent spurt of swine flu cases in India.
The British high commission issued a travel advisory for British nationals travelling in India. They were told about the Indian government’s measures to detect the H1N1 flu through airport checks.
But there have been no emergency instructions from embassies, including the US embassy, after India began reporting fatalities from swine flu.
“There is no sense of panic here. Everything is normal right now,” said an employee at a large embassy of a western country.
As with any other employment organisation, diplomats and their families have been given general awareness about the flu, its symptoms and ways to avoid it, but that is the extent of instructions.
The visa sections – where applicants come in large numbers – have also not seen any major sanitisation or precautionary measures.
However, the travel advisories of the major embassies have a separate section on H1N1 influenza – usually listing emergency numbers and the Indian government’s measures to tackle the problems.
Meanwhile, the diplomatic social life has continued as before, the affect being more of summer heat and vacations.
The embassy schools have reopened, and none of them has reported any cases of swine flu so far.