Italy Extends Entry Ban for India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka Due to B.1.617 Covid-19 Variant

A person wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) carries luggage at an airport. (Reuters) The B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus was first detected in India last year and has been blamed for much of a devastating Covid-19 wave that has battered South Asian nations in recent weeks. AFP Rome Last Updated:May 30, 2021, 17:40 IST FOLLOW

A person wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) carries luggage at an airport. (Reuters)

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

AFP Rome
Last Updated:May 30, 2021, 17:40 IST
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The ban, which does not apply to Italian citizens, was introduced in late April and was due to expire on Sunday. It was prolonged until June 21, a spokesman for Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza said 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 Covid-19 wave that has battered South Asian nations in recent weeks.

This week, the World Health Organization (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.

In an interview with AFP, WHO regional director for Europe Hans Kluge said the increased contagiousness of the new variants of the coronavirus, including the Indian one, was one of his main worries.

“We know for example that the B.1617 (Indian variant) is more transmissible than the B.117 (British variant), which already was more transmissible than the previous strain,” the Belgian doctor said.

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