The Bahamas government has banned persons who have visited Iran, Italy and South Korea from entering the archipelago as it moves to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) to the Caribbean country.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement said that based on the advice given by the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus, which has killed more than 3,000 people worldwide, has now spread to more than 75 countries.

It said that at least 47 of these countries have 10 cases or less, while some are reporting their first cases. Iran, South Korea and Italy joined China on the list of restricted countries as the number of coronavirus cases in those areas continue to increase.

“The data is compelling and out of an abundance of caution, the government of The Bahamas has decided to implement border control and quarantine measures for persons coming from those countries. Effective immediately, any non-resident who has visited South Korea, Iran or Italy in the last 20 days will be denied entry into The Bahamas.

“These countries will be added to China, for which, we implemented such measures on January 30, 2020. As such, Bahamian citizens and residents returning from all four jurisdictions will now be subjected to quarantine measures for a maximum of 14 days. Non-residents currently en route to The Bahamas from these jurisdictions will be subjected to the same protocol for returning citizens and residents,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added.

It said that there are no reported or confirmed cases of the virus in the Bahamas, adding “at this time, the government of The Bahamas is taking extra precautions to protect the safety and health of our residents and visitors.