The Indian Ministry of Health has extended its compulsory quarantine of a minimum of 14 days for all passengers coming in from and transiting through UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait starting tomorrow.
The ministry announced that this will come into effect from 1200 GMT (4pm UAE time) on March 18, 2020 at the port of first departure.
In a series of tweets, the Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India, Raveesh Kumar shared the additional countries who will undergo mandatory quarantine.
The Consul General of India to Dubai stated that all this could cause a rush of travellers to India before the quarantine comes into force.
According to a series of tweets from the ministry following the seventh detailed deliberation on the Covid-19 coronavirus management, India has also banned the entry of passengers from member countries of the European Union, the European Free Trade Association, Turkey and the United Kingdom with effect from March 18.
The ministry further tweeted that, "No airline shall board a passenger from these nations to India with effect from 1200 GMT on March 18. The airline shall enforce this at the port of initial departure."
These instructions are temporary measures and shall be in force till March 31, and will be reviewed subsequently, the ministry said. The government of India has beeing issuing strict travel restrictions to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus from high-risk areas into the country.
Four new cases of coronavirus, one each from Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Kerala have been confirmed since the last update bringing the total confirmed cases in India to 114.