India imports limestone in large quantities from the UAE (United Arab Emirates), Qatar and Oman, where the voyage is about three to four days. According to the protocol rolled out by the Ministry of Shipping, vessel arriving at the Indian ports from infected countries before 14 days of departure from the infected port have to be quarantined until it completes the 14-day period. This will push up the cost of transportation for importers by 35-40 per cent as both bunkering and chartering costs will go up for additional number of days which will in turn impacting cement industry. Alongside, India’s exports are also expected to get impacted in coming days as industrial plants are operating at minimal levels due to weak demand and downsizing staff at various location will also impact outbound trade.