Preventive measures will be taken upon return to the country

Flight tickets soar in the UAE Image Credit: Gulf News archives

Dubai: The Ministry of Health and Community Protection has called on citizens and residents to avoid travelling due to the current situation of the coronavirus outbreak and its spread in several countries.

The Ministry of Health in its statement revealed that if travel is a must, preventive measures will be taken upon their return to the country.

Decision will be taken by responsible officials according to assesments done upon return of the passengers.

Measures taken will be in the form of medical checks at the airport and then home quarantine until the traveler is cleared. In case of infection with the virus, procedures will be applied for sanitary isolation in health facilities.

Since the World Health Organization declared a state of emergency around the world due to the spread of the virus, the UAE has taken the all precautionary measures in accordance with international health standards.

UAE has announced the recovery of five coronavirus cases, due to the best healthcare services it provided to infected cases. While six new coronavirus cases were reported on Tuesday, and two new cases on Wednesday, taking the tally of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country to 29.

Efforts of containment

Since the spread of the disease all over the world, the health sector in the country has started taking all necessary measures and providing medical supplies besides the highly qualified medical team. In addition, providing isolation rooms in all governmental hospitals, as well as placing thermal detectors on all air, land and sea ports.

Among the most prominent of these efforts is the distribution of a medical guide to health, governmental and the private sector, in addition to other sectors such as education, ports and tourism.

Also rapid testing and control procedures have been activated at border crossings, where more than 30,000 tests have been conducted since the virus appeared, also suspected cases were isolated directly until test results were released.

Many other sectors have supported the health sector also in containing the spread of the virus.

Ministry of education have announced the closure of all education institutions in the UAE for four weeks from March 8 onwards. The the closure decision, taken as a precautionary measure against the spread of the novel coronavirus, applies to nurseries, schools and colleges, and where distance learning will be applied.

Also Ministry of Education have obliged students and staff to declare travel history and to go through medical checkups and committing to a home quarantine for a period of 14 days to ensure that they are free of the disease, as they will not be allowed to enter educational facilities before that.