Avoid foreign travel
Passengers who show respiratory problems may be quarantined
The UAE on Thursday urged its citizens and its foreign residents to avoid non-critical travel anywhere abroad amid the ongoing worldwide coronavirus outbreak.
The Ministry of Health and Prevention has also added 10 countries to the travel watchlist. Patients with respiratory infection symptoms who have returned from China, Hong Kong, Italy, Iran, Japan, Germany, Singapore, France, Kuwait, and Bahrain in the last 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms will need to be placed in isolation, according to the latest guidelines.
Health officials said that those travelling abroad could face quarantine at the discretion of authorities.
Meanwhile, the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments has called on all Imams of mosques to limit Friday prayers to 10 minutes. The authority has said that Imams should read only two verses of the Holy Quran.
Dubai has asked sports events organisers to postpone all sports related activities until the end of the month due to the coronavirus fears, according to a government circular.
The circular, issued by Dubai Sports Council, said the request was a precautionary measure to ensure public health.
Abu Dhabi, meanwhile, has urged all healthcare facilities to cancel all health events and activities for March, April and May.
With the spike of Covid-19 infections beyond China, the Ministry of Health and Prevention (Mohap) has issued a new case definition towards the screening of suspected patients. A total of 10 countries have been added to the travel watchlist for Covid-19.
Now, patients with respiratory infection symptoms with or without fever, who have returned from China, Hong Kong, Italy, Iran, Japan, Germany, Singapore, France, Kuwait and Bahrain in the last 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms will need to be placed in isolation, according to the latest guideline.
“Or, if patients with the respiratory symptoms have travelled to one of the above 10 countries reporting local transmission of Covid-19 in the last 14 days, they must also be placed in the isolation,” it said.
A circular issued by Mohap, a copy of which Khaleej Times has studied, clearly states that all individuals who have come in contact with an individual known as a confirmed case of Covid-19 within 14 days and present upper and lower respiratory symptoms will be admitted and isolated as well.
Also, patients with severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) , with no other lab results that explains the illness, will immediately be admitted and isolated in a medical facility. “Standard contact and airborne precautions will be taken to safeguard patient’s health,” said the circular.
Symptoms of upper and lower respiratory diseases are — fever, coughing, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, any of other early symptoms like chills, body aches, sore throat, headache, diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting and runny nose.
SARI infections are acute respiratory infections with history of fever or measured fever of greater than or equivalent to 38 degrees C, cough with onset within the last 10 days.