Latest: UAE schools and universities to close for a month to contain coronavirus
Six more people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the UAE, the Ministry of Health and Prevention said on Tuesday.
The patients include two Russians, two Italians, a German and a Colombian citizen, who are "in a stable condition and receiving all the necessary health care required".
The six people had come into contact with two Italian participants of the UAE Tour who tested positive for coronavirus at the weekend, the Ministry said.
The final stages of UAE Tour were subsequently cancelled and two hotels on Yas Island, where cyclists and team members had stayed, were put under quarantine.
All guests staying at the hotels have since been undergoing medical checks to ensure they are clear of the virus before they are released.
The ministry said Tuesday's new cases were identified during the health examinations at the hotels. On Saturday, authorities said they were screening 600 riders, staff members and media for the virus.
"All individuals within the two quarantined hotels that had no direct contact with athletes and their administrative teams were examined, and that those that tested negative for the coronavirus were allowed to leave the hotel premises," the ministry said on Tuesday. Some of the teams began returning home from Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
The ministry said individuals currently under quarantine will be "re-examined and tested for the virus to ensure their utmost safety."
All buildings, utilities and vehicles will be disinfection and sterilised once the hotels are emptied, the ministry said.
Some people who may have come into contact with the infected patients were house-quarantined and will under go periodic testing over the next two weeks, Abu Dhabi's Department of Health said on Saturday.
Tuesday's new cases brings the UAE's total to 27, with five patients - including a Chinese family of four who were the country's first cases - having already recovered.
