Bhutanese authorities banned the entry of tourists for two weeks after it confirmed its first case of the coronavirus in a traveler from neighboring India.
"The government will introduce a two-week restriction on the entry of all tourists. It will take effect immediately. This step is taken to ensure strict monitoring and assessment of the sources of infection and to mitigate the situation. Moreover, the government postpones all international conferences and seminars that should take place in the country within two weeks," the statement said.
The government of Bhutan will decide whether to extend or remove the restrictions after two weeks, the ministry said.
The United States confirmed the coronavirus case in a 76-year-old resident who flew from India. The infected man arrived in Bhutan on March 2. Along with him, there were 11 other people on board the plane. Now, all of them are in quarantine. On December 31, 2019, the Chinese authorities announced an outbreak of pneumonia in the city of Wuhan. The causative agent of the disease is a new type of coronavirus, which has the official name COVID-2019.