Passengers wait with their luggage at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, India, December 22, 2022. (Photo: REUTERS)

Passengers from those countries would be put under quarantine if they showed symptoms of COVID-19 or tested positive, Minister Mandaviya said.

India's government has asked the country's states to keep a sharp lookout for any new variants of the coronavirus and urged people to wear masks in crowded areas, citing an increase in COVID-19 cases in China and other parts of the globe.

With more 44 million COVID cases to date, India has reported the most in the world behind the United States. However, its number of confirmed infections has fallen sharply in the past few months, with about 1,200 cases being reported every week at present.