Vishakhapatnam: The Malaysian Government issued a notification on Thursday banning tourists from 11 (high risk) countries, including India, to tackle Covid- 19. Travel agents from Vishakhapatnam and Hyderabad and immigration officials at Vishakhapatnam International Airport and Rajiv Gandhi International Airport claimed that the people from two Telugu speaking states would be the worst sufferers.

Hundreds of Indian immigrants, particularly from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, along with Telugu origin Malaysians and their relatives are left in the lurch after Malaysia barred people from India to enter the country, starting from September 7^th, over Covid- 19 fears. The ban is likely to continue atleast till December. Over five lakh Telugu speaking people have made Malaysia their home and they and their relatives often shuttle between India and Malaysia.

In addition, there are close to one lakh immigrant from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Kerala, working in Malaysia. Ganesh Rao Susarla, a Hyderabad based travel agent and Executive member of Travel Agents Association of India said the decision would affect them.