UAE urges citizens and residents to avoid travelling due to the coronavirus outbreak

The UAE has urged citizens and residents to avoid travelling due to the continuing spread of the coronavirus Covid-19 across the world, official news agency WAM reported.

The Ministry of Health and Community Protection has said that if individuals travel, they will be subject to certain measures including medical checks at the airport and possible home quarantine upon their return, according to the discretion of the competent authorities.

In case of infected individuals, procedures such as sanitary isolation in health facilities will be applied to ensure that the patient avoids contact with others.

“Since the World Health Organisation declared a state of emergency around the world due to the spread of the virus, the UAE has taken all the precautionary measures in accordance with international health standards and is also equipped with all the required medical supplies,” the ministry said.

The UAE’s health authorities reported six new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, taking the total count to 27, while the Dubai Health Authority confirmed on Wednesday that a school student and parent were also infected.

Read: Indian school student in Dubai tests positive for coronavirus

Of those infected in the country, five individuals were reported to have fully recovered.

Globally, close to 95,000 cases have been reported from at least 80 countries, including a vast majority in mainland China. The number of people who have died from the coronavirus has crossed 3,280 as of Thursday.

In a bid to try and halt the spread of the contagion, the UAE has undertaken multiple measures that include distributing medical guides to health and governmental facilities and the private sector, in addition to other sectors such as education, ports and tourism.

In addition, isolation rooms in all state hospitals have been furnished and thermal detectors have been placed in all air, land and sea ports.

Furthermore, laboratory testing and control procedures have been activated at border crossings, where over 30,000 tests have been conducted since the outbreak. All suspected cases have been isolated until confirmation of infections to contain the virus.

As a precautionary measure, the UAE’s Ministry of Education declared that all schools and universities across the country – including private and public schools – will be closed for four weeks beginning Sunday, March 8. During this period all schools will be sterilised.

Read: Schools, colleges in the UAE to close for four weeks from March 8

The Ministry has also trained school leaders on how to deal with the coronavirus, while working on a preventive awareness campaign that includes disseminating important information regarding the virus.