KATHMANDU: Nepal's Home Ministry on Sunday decided to bar nationals from all African countries from entering the country for the time being, citing the threat posed by the new Omicron coronavirus variant.

'Considering the high risks from the new variant of the coronavirus, we instructed our immigration offices on Sunday not to allow citizens of all the African countries, except those with official or diplomatic passports, to enter the country with immediate effect,' Phanindramani Pokharel, the ministry's spokesman, told Xinhua.