India issues temporary ban on air travels from Japan, South Korea

In view of the recent coronavirus outbreak, the government on Friday announced a temporary suspension of the visa on arrival facility for nationals of Japan and South Korea.

"In view of the recent outbreak of coronavirus, visa on arrival facility has been temporarily suspended for nationals of Japan and South Korea," Bureau of Immigration, Ministry of Home Affairs, said.

The total number of virus affected cases in South Korea has risen to 2,022, including 13 deaths. Health authorities have zeroed in on the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in Daegu, where it has since mushroomed into the largest epidemic of the coronavirus outside China, according to The New York Times.

Yonhap news agency, a South Korean daily, has further stated in one of its reports that more than 50 countries have restricted the entry of travelers from South Korea with bans or tougher quarantine procedures over coronavirus concerns.

27 countries have entry bans on South Koreans and foreigners who have visited the Asian country in the past few weeks. They include Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Jamaica and two others.

A few more European countries began to toughen quarantine procedures for people from South Korea, including Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Iceland and Croatia.

Many of these countries have added China, Japan, Singapore and Italy -- where major outbreaks of the virus have occurred -- on their quarantine lists. That puts the number of countries with tightened quarantine processes at 25, including China.

The coronavirus, officially known as COVID19, has originated last year in Wuhan, the capital of central Chinese province of Hubei.

China's National Health Commission reported on Friday at least 44 new deaths from the coronavirus infection as of the end of Thursday, bringing to 2,788 the number of fatalities nationwide.