Coronavirus in the UAE: Precautionary measures taken, 5 recoveries reported

NURSERIES CLOSED: Abdul Rahman Bin Mohammad Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, briefs the media at the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority in Abu Dhabi on Saturday on the coronavirus in the UAE. He announced that nurseries in the UAE will be closed for two weeks from tomorrow, March 1, as a precautionary measure against coronavirus.

PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES: Hussein Al Hammadi, UAE Minister of Education, and Abdul Rahman Bin Mohammad Al Owais, UAE Minister of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), appeared together on Saturday (February 29, 2020) during a press conference on the coronavirus (COVID-19) in Abu Dhabi, and discussed measures to prevent its spread in the country. During the press briefing, it was announced that nurseries in the UAE will be closed for two weeks from March 1, as a precautionary measure.

QUARANTINED: The UAE has quarantined in two Italian team members of the UAE Tour after they tested positive for COVID-19. A total 167 people who were in contact with the two Italian patients who tested positive for the novel coronavirus were quarantined in two Yas Island hotels, but were later found free of the virus, the Department of Health — Abu Dhabi said on Friday.

EXAMINED: The UAE Tour has been cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak. UAE health authorities reported that 612 people were examined after two cycling technicians tested positive for coronavirus during UAE Tour. 450 were all cleared. 181 students involved in UAE Tour are being kept at home for two weeks as a precaution.

TWO NEW CASES: The two patients were among the technical crew, who do not mix with the participants in the event. “A total 612 people who were in contact with the two Italian patients were examined, laboratory results for 450 showed they are free from the virus, while results for the remaining 162 people are expected soon,” Abdul Rahman Bin Mohammad Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, said on Saturday.

UAE TOUR CANCELLED: Cyclists on the road during UAE Tour Stage 2. The Abu Dhabi Sports Council's decision to cancel the race comes as the virus rapidly spreads across the wider Middle East, with over 720 cases.

British rider Chris Froome gives a wave before the start of Stage 2 of UAE Tour to Hatta Dam. The UAE Tour has been suspended after two Italian participants (members of the technical team) were found to have contracted coronavirus.

NEW MEDICAL FACILITY: On Wednesday (February 26, 2020) Abdul Rahman Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, announced that the UAE is setting up a new medical facility to accommodate those affected by coronavirus — in case of a global emergency. At a media briefing, Al Owais said: "Thanks to the UAE’s wise leadership, the authorities responsible for the health sector have completed all the technical, medical and logistical preparations required to set up the medical facility far away from residential areas so that the affected can be accommodated in isolation and treatment provided.”

DON'T PANIC: A tourist wearing a surgical mask in Dubai. All coronovirus cases are monitored around the clock, said Dr Farida Al Hosani, Director of the Communicable Diseases Department at Abu Dhabi’s department of health. On Wednesday (February 26, 2020), the UAE health minister urged residents not to panic about the potential spread of COVID-19 in the UAE, saying the country has “well-established procedures in place to deal with suspected cases”.

POSTPONED: The International Triathlon Union (ITU), in consultation with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, has taken the decision to postpone the 2020 ITU World Triathlon Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Paratriathlon World Cup and Abu Dhabi Mixed Relay event as a precautionary measure to reduce the spread of coronavirus. Photo shows junior participants taking to the sea during a previous edition of the ITU World Triathlon Abu Dhabi Junior Triathlon.

FIRST RECOVERY IN THE UAE: Liu Yujia, a 73-year-old Chinese national, was the first reported recovery of a coronavirus case in the UAE. 21 people have now tested positive for coronavirus in UAE, five have recovered

ANOTHER RECOVERY: One of the newly-recovered coronavirus patients, centre, with Consul-General of China to the UAE, Li Xuhang and Dr. Fatima Al Attar, Head of International Health Regulations at the Ministry. As of February 29, 2020, the total number of patients who tested positive for COVID-19 is 21, and 5 cases fully recovered, which represents 25% of the total number of infections in the country.