Johnny Paul Pierce: The 74-Year-Old Man Says He Fell In Love With Kerala.

Johnny Paul Pierce says he fell in love with Kerala and its health care system in the five months he spent in the state after being stranded due to the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 lockdown left hundreds of foreign tourists stranded in India and fogged to get back home. But for American national Johnny Paul Walker who has been stranded in Kerala for the past five months, the lockdown has had a reverse effect.

The 74-year-old man from California has now decided to linger his stay in Kerala after having a peaceful experience in the state during the lockdown. Compared to the US, he says he feels safer in Kerala, his lawyer told TNM. He says that in the US, coronavirus cases are rising. He is 74 and if he goes back now, he could catch the infection. He is also impressed with the way Kerala is handling the pandemic," Advocate Saju S Nair, who moved the High Court to get Johnny's stay extended.

Johnn arrived in Kerala on February 26, 2020, on his fifth visit to the state. Soon after his arrival, the government announced a total lockdown triggered by the pandemic, making it impossible to fly out.

Since then, the 74-year-old has been living in a hotel in Ernakulam's Kandandu, where he has spent the last five months. With the help of his counsel, he has now moved the Kerala High Court to convert his tourist visa into a business visa and also to extend his stay without having to leave the country. He wants to extend his stay and also get a business visa," Saju added.

As per India's immigration rules, with an electronic Indian tourist visa, each stay can last a maximum of 180 days or six months for UK, USA, Canada or Japan passport holders. E-visas for India is not extendable. Business visas for India too, allow foreign nationals to stay for a maximum of 180 days. According to Saju, Johnny would complete 180 days of stay in India by August 24, 2020, after which he has to leave the country.