Passengers wait at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Airport, Mumbai, India. (Photo: Reuters)

The Ministry said these 11 sub-variants are a combination of new variants and existing or previous variants. They include BA.5.2 and BF.7.

The Indian government has tightened entry regulations when it comes to mandatory testing for people from China, Hong Kong (China), Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Thailand. Previously, India only conducted random testing on 2% of international passengers arriving in the country.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are currently hundreds of COVID-19 variants circulating globally, but some are worrying and are being watched.