Taranjit Singh Sandhu, India’s ambassador to the US, has advised Indian students stranded in America because of the coronavirus fallout to stay where they are and assured them of help.

Sandhu addressed the concerns of over 500 Indian students who attended an Instagram Live session hosted by the Indian embassy on Saturday.

Several universities have closed all of a sudden because of the outbreak, and India has suspended all flights.

“At this time, the most advisable thing to do is stay where you are,” Sandhu said in response to a question during the live session coordinated by the India Student Hub Team.

He assured the students that the Indian embassy was in constant communication with the US government on the issue of their visas. Sandhu said they could make travel plans to India once the situation improves.

“My strong advice to you is to stay where you are. We are in touch with you…. We will help you out,” he said.

An estimated 250,000 Indian students are in the US, a large number of whom are stranded because of the closure of the universities.

They have been asked to vacate their hostels and follow stay-at-home orders issued by the authorities to contain the spread of the pandemic in the US.

Later, Sandhu tweeted: “An engaging interaction with Indian students in the US on Instagram Live this afternoon. Young students are our future and we look for innovative ideas from them.”

Soon after the coronavirus outbreak in the US, the Indian embassy and its five consulates started a student-specific helpline to address their concerns. The embassy has started a Peer Support Line, which is run by Indian students.

According to Johns Hopkins University data, the number of Covid-19 fatalities in the US has crossed 20,000 and over 530,000 Americans have tested positive for the disease that has wreaked havoc across the globe.