Oman will suspend direct passenger flights from the United Kingdom and suspend the entry of non-citizens who travelled there in the previous two weeks as of March 19, as part of measures to curb the spread of coronavirus, state media said on Wednesday.

According to aviation analyst Alex Macheras, Oman’s ban follows the UK’s “surprising” decision to suddenly ban all flights plus travellers from Oman to the UK.

“The Omanis remain unclear as to why exactly the country was red-listed”, he said.

Countries already on the UK ‘red list’ include South Africa, Brazil, and most of the continent of Africa.

All arrivals to the UK from anywhere in the world must follow the following procedure: must test negative before departure to the UK, quarantine for ten days upon arrival to the UK, and take two compulsory tests during the quarantine.

However, the UK has something additional called the ‘red list’ which takes these measures much, much further.

Besides Qatar, Ethiopia, Oman and Somalia are to be added to England’s red list,” England’s Department for Transport said.

“From 4am on March 19, direct flights from Qatar to England are prohibited. Visitors who have been in or transited through Qatar in the previous 10 days cannot enter England,” British Embassy in Qatar earlier tweeted.

Meanwhile, following the UK Government travel restrictions that banned all flights from Qatar from Friday, national carrier Qatar Airways said it is trying various options in association with its partner airlines.

In a tweet on Wednesday, Qatar Airways said, “For passengers affected by UK Government Travel Restrictions, Qatar Airways is continuing to evaluate additional options which will be communicated as and when available. For affected passengers who have already commenced their journey, we are working with our airline partners on more options to get you home reliably. More information will be shared soon.”

The national carrier said, “For passengers affected by UK Government travel restrictions who are yet to start their journey, we offer options including date and route changes and ticket refunds. Passengers can still travel from the UK with QR and may return on partner airlines where available including BA.”

Qatar Airways said if passengers are travelling to the UK between March 19 and May 18, they may be rebooked onto flights operated by partner airlines, where available.