COVID-19: UAE urges citizens and residents to avoid travel

The UAE has urged citizens and residents to avoid travelling due to the continuing spread of the coronavirus COVID-19. The Ministry of Health and Community Protection has said that if individuals travel, they will be subject to certain measures including medical checks at the airport and possible home quarantine upon their return, according to the discretion of the authorities. For how long this will , in effect, block outbound medical tourism is not known.  The effect on inbound medical tourism to Dubai and Abu Dhabi is also uncertain.

In the case of infected individuals, procedures such as sanitary isolation in health facilities will be applied to ensure that the patient avoids contact with others.

The UAE’s health authorities recently reported 27 coronavirus cases while the Dubai Health Authority confirmed that a school student and parent were also infected. Of those infected in the UAE, five individuals have fully recovered.

In a bid to try and halt the spread of the contagion, the UAE has undertaken multiple measures that include distributing medical guides to health and governmental facilities and the private sector, in addition to other sectors such as education, ports and tourism.

Isolation rooms in all state hospitals have been furnished and thermal detectors have been placed in all air, land and seaports.

Laboratory testing and control procedures have been activated at border crossings, where over 30,000 tests have been conducted since the outbreak. All suspected cases have been isolated until confirmation of infections to contain the virus.

As a precautionary measure, the UAE’s Ministry of Education declared that all schools and universities across the country – including private and public schools – will be closed for four weeks beginning Sunday, March 8. During this period all schools will be deep cleaned.