Colombia bans arrival of int'l flights over COVID-19

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) - Colombia's President Ivan Duque suspended the arrival of international flights Thursday for one month because of concerns about the coronavirus.

"I want to inform all Colombians: From 00:00 on March 23, the arrival of all international passenger flights to the country's airports is prohibited for a period of 30 days," Duque announced on Twitter.

The announcement came days after he imposed measures Sunday blocking the entry of non-residents to Colombia to curb the spread of the virus as the number of confirmed cases continue to rise.

Last week, the government also decided to restrict the entry of those from Europe and Asia due to the outbreak in numerous countries.

There are at least 102 confirmed cases in Colombia without fatalities, while one patient recovered from the illness, according to Johns Hopkins University's Coronavirus Research Center in the U.S.

The virus emerged in Wuhan, China, last December, and has since spread to at least 159 countries and territories, while more than 227,300 cases have been confirmed worldwide, with 9,115 deaths.