Dubai: Airports in the UAE are adopting a “wait-and-see” position on the outbreak of the Ebola virus in West African countries as no travel restrictions or screening protocols are in place so far.
Concerns regarding the global spread of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) via air travel began when Liberian-American Patrick Sawyer died of the virus in Lagos in Nigeria on July 25. He was flying from Liberia in West Africa to attend a conference in Nigeria.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said in its Travel and Transport Risk Assessment advisory that the risk of a tourist or traveller contracting the virus during a visit to affected areas is extremely low even if they visit local areas that have primary cases of the virus.
The Ebola virus is not airborne but can be transmitted if a person comes in direct contact with blood, secretions, organs or other body fluids of infected living or dead persons or animals.
In Dubai, a spokesperson from the world’s second busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic, said they are keeping watch over the global situation and awaiting orders from the UAE Ministry of Health.
“We’re monitoring the situation closely and we continue to keep in close contact with local health authorities [on any actions regarding issuing screening protocols],” the spokesperson told Gulf News.
But even before any possible cross-country transmission happens in Dubai, Emirates took pre-emptive action by temporarily suspending its flights to Conakry, the capital of Guinea, on Saturday.
“Emirates will be suspending its service to Conakry from August 2 until further notice, due to the outbreak of the Ebola virus in Guinea. We apologise for any inconvenience caused to our customers. However, the safety of our passengers and crew is of the highest priority and will not be compromised,” a spokesperson from the airline told Gulf News on Sunday in an emailed statement.
“Our service to Dakar, Senegal, which is linked with Conakry, will not be affected. We will be guided by the updates from international health authorities,” he added.
West African countries Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have been hardest hit by the virus, which has killed 729 people and infected more than 1,300 this year.
Emirates does not have flights to Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Another carrier, Air Arabia, which flies from Sharjah, currently does not have any flights to affected countries in West Africa.
The same holds true of Abu Dhabi International Airport as officials continue to monitor the Ebola outbreak in affected countries. No flights have been affected so far.
A spokesperson from Etihad Airways, which flies to Nigeria, another Ebola-affected country, told Gulf News: “The safety and well-being of Etihad Airways’ passengers and staff is of paramount importance and the airline continues to closely monitor the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. We are in regular contact with global and regional authorities, as well as Health Authority - Abu Dhabi, about the potential risks.”
The spokesperson did not elaborate on the Etihad Airways route to Nigeria, which was still operational as of deadline on Sunday.
The WHO had earlier said that screening passengers at points of entry is not recommended since doing so will have very limited impact. The agency did not recommend travel restrictions or closure of borders.
