Qatar bans entry of passengers from 14 countries

DOHA

Qatar announced Sunday that it its temporarily banning the entry of travelers from 14 countries due to concerns over the novel coronavirus.

The ban covers Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria and Thailand.

Qataris were also called on not to visit the countries unless it is absolutely necessary.

The statement came as the Ministry of Health reported three more cases of the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, bringing the total to 15.

The latest cases were all foreigners from the same country who were living in the same flat.

The global death toll from the virus is around 3,500, with more than 100,000 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

As part of efforts to contain the outbreak, governments have closed borders and suspended land and air travel with the worst-hit countries including China, Iran and Italy.

After declaring the outbreak an international health emergency in January, the WHO last month updated the global risk level to "very high."