Japan, Maldives ban travellers from India, Pakistan, other countries

• The bans will come into place from tomorrow.
• Japan, Maldives Decisions taken in light of rapid COVID-19 spread.
• Only Japanese nationals allowed to enter country.

Japan and Maldives have announced a ban on flights from several countries including Pakistan and India, in a bid to contain surging COVID-19 infections.

The Maldives has banned travellers from across South Asia despite having one of the world's most successful vaccination roll-outs.

The Maldives, whose economy relies on tourists visiting its pristine atolls, has suffered a more than 15-fold increase in daily infections in the past week.

Authorities said tourist arrivals from the key Indian market and other South Asian countries would stop from Thursday. They have already banned the entry of foreign labourers from around South Asia except health workers.

"These restrictions apply to travellers originating from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka," Maldives Immigration said in a statement.

Anyone who has only transited through South Asia would also be included, it added.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan said the country had decided to ban flights from 152 countries, including Pakistan and India.

The ban will come into place from tomorrow.

The ministry said the decision had been taken in light of the rapid spread of COVID-19 after several variants of the virus had emerged.

Permanent residents and people holding work visas will also not be allowed to enter the country; only Japanese nationals have been granted permission, the ministry said.

Kuwait, UAE ban flights

The development comes after Kuwait had banned flights and barred entry to travellers from four countries — Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka — until further notice, as the emirate tried to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

The decision by the Gulf state's cabinet did not include cargo flights.

To enter Kuwait from the four countries, people must have been in another country for at least 14 days beforehand, the statement said.

Kuwait last week it would ban citizens who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19 from travelling abroad from May 22.

United Arab Emirates has barred entry to non-UAE resident travellers from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka starting today.

The UAE last month banned entry to travellers from India to guard against the spread of the highly contagious Indian variant.

"Flights between the four countries will continue to allow the transport of passengers from the UAE to Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka," the Gulf state's National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) said.

The ban includes transit flights coming from those countries. Transit flights to those countries can continue.