ROME

Italy on Thursday imposed a travel ban on three more Balkan nations due to the coronavirus pandemic, the country’s heath minister said.

Italy’s list of high-risk countries now contains 16 nations with new additions; Kosovo, Serbia, and Montenegro, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said on Facebook.

Travelers, who had been in these countries in the last 14 days, will not be able to enter Italy.

The list of restricted countries included Armenia, Bahrein, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bosnia Herzegovina, Chile, Kuwait, North Macedonia, Moldova, Oman, Panama, Peru, Dominican Republic, Serbia, Montenegro, and Kosovo.

Since originating in China last December, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed nearly 585,000 lives in 188 countries and regions.

More than 13.58 million cases have been reported worldwide, while over 7.6 million patients have recovered so far, according to figures compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University.