As many as 20 people who returned to India from the United Kingdom have tested positive for the mutant coronavirus, ANI reported. These include the first six cases of the new strain that India confirmed on Tuesday.

The new virus strain was first reported in the UK.

Experts believe this COVID-19 variant to be considerably more contagious than the original strain first detected in China, AFP reported.

India had banned flights from the UK due to the spread of the new strain in the country. The ban in India came into force at 11.59 pm on December 22 and will remain in effect till 11.59 pm on December 31.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Union Ministry of Health said about 33,000 people have arrived in India from the UK, from November 25 to December 23. All of them are being tracked and tested.

Also read: UK has more COVID-19 patients in hospitals than at its peak in April

A number of countries have reported cases of the mutant coronavirus. These include France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Chile and Pakistan.