Italy&rsquos Health Minister Roberto Speranza has stated that the country will impose restrictions on travellers from India to prevent the spread of a COVID-19 variant.

The Health Minister issued a decree barring foreign travellers from India and who have been in India in the past 14 days from entering Italy.

However, Italian residents will be allowed to return from India with a negative test result taken before their departure and will be tested again at their arrival following quarantine.

Italy joins an increasing number of countries who are enforcing travel bans on India. 

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Speranza also requested that people who have already arrived in Italy from India in the past 14 days should take an RT-PCR test.

"Our scientists are at work to study the new Indian variant," Speranza said.