Coronavirus is ‘not spreading’

May 14, 2013

Riyadh, May 14: The Ministry of Health said yesterday that it had stopped the spread of coronavirus from Al-Ahsa in the Eastern Province to other parts of the Kingdom.coronavirus2
The virus had reached Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, but not further incidences have been reported.
“No new cases of the virus were found in any part of the Kingdom,” Dr. Ziad Al-Memish, undersecretary to the Ministry of Health for Public Health, told Arab News.
So far, the Kingdom has reported 24 cases of the virus, including nine fatal cases. The recent cases included two men aged 48 and 58.
The first patient, a 48-year-old man with multiple coexisting medical conditions, became ill on April 29, and is in stable condition, while the latter fully recovered and was discharged from the hospital May 3 after falling ill on April 6. Al-Memish said the ministry has taken all precautions against the spread of the disease.
However, he added that in keeping with the transparency policy, the ministry would keep the public informed of all developments in this matter.
Keiji Fukuda, assistant director-general of WHO’s Health Security and Environment, who visited the Eastern Province on Saturday, said the Kingdom has taken the coronavirus situation seriously and the Saudi Ministry of Health has initiated public health actions, including intensifying surveillance, initiating investigations and ensuring control measures are in place.
“One of the reasons why more cases have been identified in the Kingdom may be because they have gone ahead to strengthen their surveillance system and lab capacity and network,” he said. “We know that the disease is caused by a virus from a group called coronaviruses.”
He said one member of the coronavirus family is the SARS virus. This new virus is not the SARS virus. He said the virus has infected people since 2012.

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Agencies
August 2,2020

Kuwait, Aug 2: Kuwait has barred entry of foreign passengers from over 30 countries including India and China.

A circular from the Director General Civil Aviation, State of Kuwait directed all airlines operating at Kuwait International Airport to adhere to the instructions in this regard.

"Based on the decision of the Health Authority in State of Kuwait, no foreign passenger coming from the down listed countries will be allowed to enter the State of Kuwait," the circular read.

These include- India, Iran, China, Brazil, Colombia, Armenia, Bangladesh, Philippines, Syria, Spain, Singapore, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Iraq, Mexico, Indonesia, Chile, Pakistan, Egypt, Lebanon, Hong Kong, Italy, North Macedonia, Moldova, Panama, Beirut ,Serbia Montenegro, Dominican Republic and Kosovo.

The circular stated that such restriction will also include the passengers were present 14 days before the date of travel until further notice.

The ban was announced the same day Kuwait began a partial resumption of commercial flights according to Khaleej Times, which quoted authorities stating that Kuwait International Airport would run at about 30 per cent capacity from Saturday, gradually increasing in coming months.

According to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University, Kuwait has reported 67,448 cases of coronavirus while the fatalities related to the virus stand at 453.

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News Network
March 23,2020

Dubai, Mar 23: All inbound, outbound and transit passenger flights to and from the United Arab Emirates – home to one of the world’s busiest hubs – are to be suspended for two weeks.

The UAE’s National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA) and General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has announced that passenger flights to, from and through the country will be suspended from 25 March for a period of two weeks, in order to “curb the spread of the Covid-19”.

Freight and emergency evacuation flights will still be permitted to operate.

The suspension affects major global hubs in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Dubai-based Emirates has already announced that it will suspend most of its passenger flights from 25 March.

“Additional examination and isolation arrangements will be taken later should flights resume, in order to ensure the safety of passengers, air crews and airport personnel and their protection from infection risks,” state the NCEMA and the GCAA.

Dubai International Airport was the third-busiest airport in the world in 2018, handling 89 million passengers.

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News Network
January 16,2020

Dubai, Jan 16: The UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment on Wednesday announced that it has banned the import of birds, some eggs and meat products from Hungary and Slovakia.

The ministry said the decision was taken following a notification from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) on the outbreak of a highly pathogenic strain of bird flu, H5N2, in the two countries.

Accordingly, the ministry has banned "the import of all species of domestic and wild live birds, ornamental birds, chicks, hatching eggs, meats and meat products and non-heat-treated wastes from Hungary and Slovakia".

It has also regulated the import of poultry meat and non-heat-treated products, requiring a health certificate for the export of meat and meat products from the two countries to release consignments into the UAE.

A health certificate will be needed for the import of eggs, the ministry added.

However, thermally-treated poultry products (meat and eggs) have been cleared for import from all parts of Hungary and Slovakia.

Kaltham Ali Kayaf, Acting Director, Animal Development & Health Department at the ministry, said: "These measures reiterate the ministry's keenness in achieving its strategic objectives including enhancing bio-security levels and eliminating pathogens before they enter the country. In doing so, the ministry prevents the bird flu virus and related risks and impacts on the country's poultry health and safety, in addition to protecting public health and well-being."

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