CAIRO (REUTERS) - Qatar has temporarily barred travellers from 14 countries from Monday (March 9) as a precaution against the rapidly spreading coronavirus, the government announced on Sunday.

The ban covers China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria and Thailand.

Qatar Airways had already suspended flights to and from Italy.

Qatar reported three more cases of the virus on Sunday, bringing the total there to 15.