UAE issues travel advisory for China

The UAE has urged its citizens to avoid travelling to China as the novel coronavirus continues to spread across the country.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls upon the citizens of the country to postpone travel to the People’s Republic of China except in cases of extreme necessity,” the Ministry’s tweet read in part.

في ظل ما تشهده عدة دول من انتشار لفيروس الالتهاب الرئوي الجديد “كورونا”، وحرصاً من وزارة الخارجية والتعاون الدولي على سلامة المواطنين، تدعو وزارة الخارجية مواطني الدولة بتأجيل السفر الى جمهورية الصين الشعبية إلا في حالات الضرورة القصوى.

— وزارة الخارجية والتعاون الدولي (@MoFAICUAE) January 26, 2020

The travel alert has been issued to ensure the safety of people over the outbreak of the coronavirus in China, that has claimed at least 80 lives so far.

The UAE has taken precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the virus. In the days following the outbreak, Dubai Airports announced that thermal screening would be conducted on all passengers arriving on direct flights from China.

Read: Dubai to thermal screen all passengers coming from China

Additionally, the Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC) denied rumours that a patient in the capital was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, official news agency WAM reported.

The patient in question is currently being treated for a previous type of coronavirus, which is not dangerous.

Abu Dhabi Center for Public Health: No cases of “new Coronavirus” have been detected so far. Reports of existing cases relate to a previously known strain of Coronavirus, which is regularly treated and has nothing to do with the virus nCoV. pic.twitter.com/ew9OvUXwyi

— Abu Dhabi Government Media Office (@admediaoffice) January 26, 2020

The centre urged the public to pay heed to accurate information from government health authorities, and to avoid recirculating any information pertinent to the disease.

In light of the outbreak, China has banned travel from Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, even as authorities struggle to contain the virus.

Also read: UAE ‘completely free’ of new coronavirus – ministry