Five people have been infected with the deadly coronavirus in Kuwait after they arrived from the Iranian city of Mashhad, according to the state news agency KUNA.

One of the people infected with the virus is a Kuwaiti citizen, another is a Saudi Arabian citizen, and the third is of an undisclosed origin.

“The first case is a 53-year-old Kuwaiti citizen, the second is a 61-year-old Saudi Arabian citizen. The condition of the two is normal and they are not showing symptoms of the virus,” the Ministry of Health said in a statement.

“However, the third case is a 21-year-old of an undisclosed nationality, who has started to show symptoms of the virus.”

The Ministry of Health announced later in the evening that two female passengers arriving from Mashhad tested positive for the coronavirus. Both patients were aboard the same flight where three infections were detected earlier on Monday, the ministry said.

All patients were rushed from the airport directly to a hospital specially designed and equipped for receiving coronavirus cases. “They are kept in strict quarantine and under close observation,” according to the statement.

The Ministry urged all citizens and residents to abide by the safety regulations relating to public health.

Kuwait enforced a temporary ban on the export and re-export of virus-testing kits, the Minister of Trade said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia will coordinate with the Kuwaiti health ministry to treat the Saudi citizen, the Kingdom’s Ministry of Health said on Monday.

Iran announced on Sunday that eight people have died in the country from coronavirus, marking the first deaths from the outbreak in the region. The Iranian Ministry of Health said that there are 43 confirmed cases of the illness in Iran.

Read more:

Coronavirus death toll rises to 8 in Iran: State media

First case of coronavirus detected in Bahrain

How to protect yourself from the coronavirus: Everything you need to know

From China to Europe and the world: A timeline of the coronavirus outbreak

Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:57 - GMT 06:57