Italy extends travel ban for Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka

Dhaka: Italy has extended the ongoing travel ban for travelers from Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka, in an effort to curb the transmission of the Indian coronavirus variants.

The ban, which does not apply to Italian citizens, was introduced in late April and was due to expire on May 30. However, it has been extended till June 21, said a spokesman for the Italian Health Ministry in a statement.

The B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus was first detected in India last year and has been blamed for much of a devastating new Covid-19 wave that has battered South Asian nations lately.

Recently, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said the variant has officially spread to 53 territories and has been linked to seven other territories by unofficial sources, taking the total to 60.

According to reports, WHO regional director for Europe Hans Kluge said the increased contagiousness of the new variants of the coronavirus, including the one found in India, was one of his main worries.

"We know for example that the B.1617 (India-dominant variant) is more transmissible than the B.117 (British variant), which already was more transmissible than the previous strain," the Belgian doctor said.