Gulf suspends flights to Iran as coronavirus cases increase
Gulf states announced new measures yesterday to cut links with Iran to prevent the coronavirus from spreading after the confirmation of 20 new cases, all of them people returning from the country.
The UAE suspended all passenger and cargo flights to Iran after Gulf neighbours Kuwait and Bahrain announced the additional cases of Covid-19. Iran confirmed at least 95 cases, with at least 15 dead.
Over the past two days, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman reported 29 cases of the new coronavirus among people returning from pilgrimages to Iran, which is battling the deadliest outbreak outside China.
Emirati officials suspended all air routes to Iran.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, called Chinese President Xi Jinping yesterday. In a tweet, he expressed Abu Dhabi’s “solidarity with China” in combating the spread of the virus and pledged to support Beijing.
Bahraini officials also halted routes between Manama and Dubai and Sharjah airports – which operate connections to Iranian cities – for 48 hours starting yesterday.
The move by Bahrain came after the kingdom on Monday confirmed its first two cases.
The country’s health ministry confirmed six more cases yesterday – two Bahrainis and four Saudis – who arrived on a flight from Iran that transited through Dubai.
Kuwait has cancelled celebrations for national holidays today and tomorrow and also scrapped all sports events to counter the spread of the disease.
The flu-like virus, believed to have originated in wildlife in China’s Wuhan city late last year, has infected 77,666 people and killed 2,664 in the country. But the World Health Organisation says the epidemic there has peaked and has been declining since February 2.
Yet beyond mainland China, it has jumped to about 29 countries and territories, with about three dozen deaths. Outbreaks in Iran, Italy and South Korea are of particular concern.
The Iranian totals include three deaths and 34 new infections yesterday.
One of the people infected was the head of the country’s
counter-coronavirus task force, Iraj Harirchi, who tested positive for the virus himself, the authorities announced yesterday as concerns rose that the outbreak may be far wider than officially acknowledged.
Mr Harirchi coughed occasionally and appeared to be sweating during a news conference on Monday.
A prominent Iranian MP, Mahmoud Sadeghi, also said he had tested positive for the virus.
In response to the outbreak in Iran, all 132 passengers and crew on a Turkish Airlines plane from Tehran will be quarantined for 14 days and tested for possible coronavirus infection at a hospital in Ankara, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said yesterday.
Some neighbouring countries closed their borders, while Oman’s Khasab port halted the import and export of goods with Iran.
“It is an uninvited and inauspicious visitor. God willing we will get through ... this virus,” said Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
Iran cancelled concerts and football matches nationwide, while schools and universities closed in many provinces.
Many Iranians took to social media to accuse authorities of concealing the facts. The government said US sanctions were hampering its response by preventing the importation of masks and medicine.
Oman, which has confirmed two cases of the virus, said yesterday it quarantined 263 people.
The country’s minister of health said that most of the quarantined people came to Oman from China, South Korea and Iran. Most of them are foreign citizens.
“Anybody coming from these countries will be quarantined for two weeks, as most symptoms do not appear until two weeks after the virus is transmitted from one person to another,” Dr Ahmed Al Saeedi said.
Oman has suspended flights to the three countries as a precaution. Last week, Muscat International Airport made it mandatory for all arriving passengers to fill in forms disclosing where they travelled in recent days.
The Ministry of Health urged citizens and residents to “refrain from spreading rumours” on social media that the virus had affected people in different areas of Oman. “This is just a rumour and it is not true,” the authorities said.
In Iraq, influential cleric Moqtada Al Sadr called off anti-government protests yesterday over coronavirus fears as the country suspended flights from China and Iran.
“I have called for a million-man protest and today I forbid you from it for the sake of your health,” Mr Al Sadr tweeted.
In Dubai, doctors were told to expand checks on potential coronavirus patients.
Clinics and hospitals should test patients who have severe chest infections for Covid-19, even if they have no history of travel to an infection hot spot and no known contact with a sufferer.
The countries considered hot spots are China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Singapore and Italy.
The head of a top hospital in Abu Dhabi warned residents against panic and paranoia, saying the UAE was prepared to protect its people against Covid-19.
“We will get past this,” said Dr Rakesh Suri, chief executive of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, told The National.