Passengers arriving in India from another four Asian countries -- Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia -- will undergo medical screening at the airports as part of the efforts to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced on February 23.

Earlier, the DGCA had ordered the screening of passengers arriving from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Singapore. "In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus 2019) disease in India, it has been decided to expand the universal screening of all passengers arriving in flights from Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia besides the flights from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Singapore," read a communication issued by the Deputy Director General of DGCA.

"Universal screening of all passengers coming in flights from Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia besides the flights from China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Singapore shall be ensured immediately once they step out of the specific locations at all the airports and getting the self-declaration form filled by the passengers as per the instructions of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare," it added. Coronavirus first originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan and has since then killed more than 2,300 people in that country alone, while cases have been reported in several countries across the world, including India.