With the rising COVID-19 cases across the world, it is not unusual to dream of escaping to a remote island. And if 'Kailasa' - the 'nation' that self-styled godman Nithyananda claims to have founded in 2019 - was on your list of places to travel to, we have bad news for you. In a statement, Nithyananda announced that devotees from India would not be allowed to enter his island. In his 'Presidential Mandate', Nithyananda said that it was not just Indians but also travellers from Brazil, European Union and Malaysia who were banned from entering the island. The decision was made in view of the rising COVID-19 cases across the world. The tweet accompanying the statement read, "KAILASA's #PresidentialMandate Executive order directly from the #SPH for all the embassies of #KAILASA across the globe. #COVID19 #COVIDSecondWaveInIndia #CoronaSecondWave #Nithyananda #Kailaasa #ExecutiveOrder."

KAILASA's #PresidentialMandate
Executive order directly from the #SPH for all the embassies of #KAILASA across the globe. #COVID19 #COVIDSecondWaveInIndia #CoronaSecondWave #Nithyananda #Kailaasa #ExecutiveOrder pic.twitter.com/I2D0ZvffnO

— KAILASA'S SPH JGM HDH Nithyananda Paramashivam (@SriNithyananda) April 20, 2021

Nithyananda has been hiding on the island located off the coast of Ecuador since 2019. He absconded after being accused of sexual assault. Since then, Nithyananda has appealed to the United Nations to declare the Kailasa as a separate country.

In the latest statement, he wrote, "All Kailasians, Ekailasians, volunteers associated with these de facto embassies of Kailasa are to quarantine themselves and adhere to the precautionary measures advised by the local laws."

Twitter users were left in splits after reading the "executive order". Users retweeted the statement with laughing emojis.

In the past, Nithyananda has grabbed eyeballs on social media with videos and tweets about his 'Hindu sovereign nation'. Besides its own cabinet and Prime Minister, the island has a dedicated website. About the island, the website says, "Kailaasa is a nation without borders created by dispossessed Hindus from around the world who lost the right to practice Hinduism authentically in their own countries."

In August 2020, Nithyananda even launched his very own 'Reserve Bank of Kailasa'. The official currency of the island was declared to be 'Kailashian dollars'. The rape-accused refers to himself as the 'Supreme Pontiff' of Kailasa.