Qatar bans arrival of travelers from 14 countries over coronavirus fears

DOHA: Qatar has suspended arrivals of travelers from 14 countries from Monday (today) as a precautionary measure against the rapidly spreading coronavirus disease.

Qatari government has announced temporary ban on travelers from Pakistan, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Nepal, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria and Thailand.

It is to be mentioned here that Qatar Airways had already suspended flights to and from Italy, which has reported 366 deaths in the outbreak.

Qatar reported three more cases of the virus on Sunday, bringing the total there to 15.

The death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in Italy has jumped by at least 133 in the past 24 hours.

Italy has imposed a quarantine in Lombardy and other severely affected areas, affecting some 16 million people as it stepped up efforts to tackle Europe’s largest coronavirus outbreak.

The move came as the country struggles to contain the virus’s spread, with 1,247 new cases detected in the last 24 hours – a 25 percent surge. As of Sunday, Italy confirmed 7,375 infections.