People traveling from some 19 countries into Malawi will be required to undergo a 14 days quarantine on arrival in the wake of the corona virus.

This follows a statement which Malawi government has issued through the ministry of health.

The 19 nations are China, Italy, Iran, Korea, Germany, France, Spain, USA, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, the UK, Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, Austria, Japan, Finland and Greece.

The list however omits African nations where cases have been rising in the recent weeks.

Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan and Guinea announced their first confirmed cases of coronavirus on Friday as the disease has now spread to at least 18 countries in Africa.

Other African countries that reported cases of the disease are Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria, Senegal, Togo, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), South Africa, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Gabon and Ghana. Most of the countries’ totals are still in single figures.

Africa had so far largely been spared the rapid spread of COVID-19, which has infected at least 132,000 and killed nearly 5,000 worldwide.

Rapid testing and quarantines have been put in place to limit transmission. But concerns are growing about the continent’s ability to handle the disease.

More than 169,000 cases have been confirmed since the outbreak started, and the death toll has exceeded 6,500. The vast majority of cases are in China, but the virus has spread to more than 100 other countries.

According to data from the Chinese authorities, around 80 per cent of cases of the disease are mild, but 20 per cent require hospitalization.