US passport loses its powerful status; now equivalent to Mexican passport

Before COVID-19 hit the world, the US passport used to enjoy the status of being the most powerful one. Now, things have changed drastically, and America’s passport is a lot less powerful. Looking after how America is handling the virus outbreak, several countries have banned US passport holders from entering.

As per the latest Henley Passport Index, a US passport holder can enter only 158 countries, which is 27 less than pre-COVID era. The reason behind this is largely because of the European Union's decision, wherein it has completely (temporarily) barred travellers from the US.
The ranking was done using the data from the International Air Transport Association. In 2014, the US passport was on the top in the list; and, before the virus outbreak, a US passport holder would easily get entry into 185 destinations across the globe without a visa or a visa on arrival at all. But now, the US passport is at par with Mexico (before the pandemic).
Top countries on the list

Japan is leading the board with the first position with access to 191 countries around the world, closely followed by Singapore with access to 190 destinations. For the third position, there is a tie between South Korea and Germany with a score of 189.

The US, on the other hand, has slipped and stopped at seventh position in the official index (because of the current EU ban). Because of this, the US passports have the same level of travel freedom as citizens of Mexico, which is on the 25th position with access to 159 countries.
The US tops the chart of maximum COVID-19 positive cases and deaths in the world till date, with 3.17 million people infected and 135k dead till now.

1. Which country's passport is considered the most powerful now?
   Japan is leading with access to 191 countries around the world, which is closely followed by Singapore with access to 190 destinations.
2. Where does India stand in the ranking?
   Indian passport ranked 84th, with access to 58 destinations without a visa or with a visa on arrival before the pandemic.