12 new cases detected, three more recover, says Ministry

The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) announced on Sunday that twelve more cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) have been confirmed in the UAE. The persons who were reported positive to coronavirus were found to be in contact with others coming from abroad, who were also confirmed infected. The total number of people infected with Covid-19 have reached 98 in the country.

The infected persons, who have been screened through the Ministry’s ongoing early reporting system, are from South Africa, Australia, China, Philippines, Lebanon, Britain, Italy, Iran and the UAE. Three other patients are from India. They are in stable health condition and receiving proper medication, the ministry said in a statement.

The Ministry said, “In coordination with health and other concerned authorities in the country, it is following a very effective epidemiological monitoring mechanism, and taking all the necessary precautions to ensure that highly efficient preventive measures, including check-ups and observation of the people who have been in contact with patients, were in accordance with the highest global practices.”

It urged the public to follow the preventive procedures and read the awareness instructions, available on its website and the official websites of health authorities in the UAE.

The Ministry has also announced the full recovery of a further three persons from coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total number of recovered cases in the country to 22.

The Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that the individuals – two Bangladeshis and one Indian – are now “symptom-free” after receiving the necessary health treatment in hospital.

Meanwhile, the Dubai Airports Company issued an update for travellers regarding flights in accordance with the directives of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) in the UAE, health authorities and related authorities, emphasising the need for travellers to check with their airline before travelling.

In a notice, it said that, as of March 17, the UAE would temporarily suspend the issuance of all entry visas except for holders of diplomatic passports. This also excludes travellers who have visas issued before the 17th of this month.

The Dubai Airports also stated that travellers who hold passports from countries (45 countries) that do not require issuing entry visas to the UAE, can still continue to travel to and from the UAE, indicating that passengers may undergo an additional medical examination.

The list of countries, according to the Dubai Airports notice, includes: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland , Italy (from Rome only), Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican, United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Upon arrival at Dubai International Airport, all passengers will be subjected to a thermal (non-interference) scanning process by cameras, as they pass through customs, the notice said. 

Travellers who arrive from any of these countries: Italy - Rome and Lebanon until 16 March, the People’s Republic of China - Beijing and Syria until 16 March, and Thailand will undergo thermal examination and nasal screening.

This level of examination is performed by the airport medical centre team affiliated with the Dubai Health Authority at Dubai International Airport, while all passengers departing on flights heading to the United States are also subject to thermal examination.

It has also been noted that all scheduled passenger flights to and from the following countries have been suspended temporarily until further notice: Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Italy with the exception of Rome, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, China except for Beijing, Syria and Turkey from 17 March.

Separately, the Dubai Municipality has announced that its parks and recreational destinations will remain temporarily closed from Sunday, March 15th until further notice. GHQ of the Sharjah Police has suspended receiving all visitors to the Traffic and Licensing Centre in the Ramtha area in Sharjah, the test centres, including the registration village and the “Motor Check”.