The government on Tuesday banned the entry of passengers from Afghanistan, Philippines and Malaysia to India with immediate effect, according to an additional travel advisory.
The order comes after all travellers, including Indian citizens, from the European Union, European Free Trade Association, Turkey and United Kingdom, were banned from flying into India from March 18 to March 31.
In continuation of the travel advisory issued on March 11 and March 16, the following additional advisory was issued. "Travel of passengers from Afghanistan, Philippines and Malaysia to India is prohibited with immediate effect," it said.
No flight shall take off from these countries to India after 1500 hours (3 pm) Indian Standard Time (IST). The airline shall enforce this at the port of initial departure, according to the advisory.
This instruction is a temporary measure and shall be in force till March 31 and will be reviewed subsequently.
A 14-day quarantine period had also been extended for passengers coming from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.
Last week, the Union government suspended almost all existing visas from March 13 to April 15, with exceptions only to diplomatic, employment, project, official or international organisation visas. Entry for Overseas Citizen of India cardholders was also cancelled temporarily.
There are currently 125 confirmed cases in the country, and schools, colleges, malls, theatres and cultural institutions have been shuttered to stem the spread of the virus. India recorded its third COVID-19 death on Tuesday.
With PTI inputs