Kuwait halts flights to and from Bangladesh, 6 other countries

Kuwait suspended on Saturday all flights to and from Bangladesh, Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Philippines, India, and Sri-Lanka for a week starting on Saturday, Kuwait's civil aviation directorate said in a tweet. 

Kuwait also banned entry of anyone who has been in the seven countries in the last two weeks except for Kuwaitis coming from the seven countries, who will be allowed entry but will have to submit to quarantine procedures, the civil aviation directorate added.

In an advisory Saturday, the Kuwait's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the temporary ban on the entry of flights to the Kuwait International Airport will start on March 6 and will last "until one week".

Earlier on March 4, Kuwait's civil aviation authority said passengers from 10 nations including Bangladesh, must produce certificates issued by the Kuwaiti embassy in their country saying they are coronavirus free.

Kuwaiti authorities recently instituted a spate of measures aimed at containing the spread of the virus, including quarantines and banning visits to prisons for two weeks.