Pakistan yesterday suspended all international flights for two weeks to limit the spread of coronavirus, as governments across densely populated South Asia ramped up their efforts to contain the virus.

Pakistani officials also asked people to self-quarantine for at least another 45 days as the country reported its third coronavirus death, with confirmed cases rising to 534.

Authorities in Bangladesh tightened border controls, while Sri Lankan police arrested more than two dozen people for violating a nationwide curfew.

The region, home to 1.9 billion people, appears to have been less badly affected than other parts of the world, but the rate of new infections in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka has accelerated.

As a whole, the region has registered 869 coronavirus cases and seven deaths.

Indian Railways, which carries more than 30 million passengers every day, said some people who had tested positive for coronavirus had travelled by train -- forcing officials to track down fellow passengers. RD Bajpai, a spokesman for India's national railway system, urged people not to travel.

In the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, inmates at the largest jail launched a violent protest against authorities for banning visitors due to the virus.

India, the world's second most-populous country, also plans to halt all incoming international flights to help stem the number of cases, which passed 271 on Saturday.

In Sri Lanka, which has reported 72 confirmed cases, police arrested 30 people from various parts of the country for violating curfew, a police spokesman said, adding that the curfew has been imposed till Monday morning.