Coronavirus: UAE has no plans to cancel public events or close schools

Experts say the Middle East is developing into a new battleground for the illness, with Iran posing a particular concern

A tour guide wears a mask, due to the coronavirus, in front of the historical Salwa Palace, in Diriyah, outside Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. AP

A woman wearing a face masks walks past Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut, Lebanon. Bloomberg

Visitors wearing protective face masks pose for a photograph after visiting Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut, Lebanon. Bloomberg

A Tehran Municipality worker cleans a bus to avoid the spread of the illness in Iran. AFP

Workers disinfect subway trains against coronavirus in Tehran, Iran, in the early morning AP

Members of an Iraqi family, all wearing masks, pose for a picture during their visit to the shrine of Imam Ali in the holy Iraqi central city of Najaf. AFP

An Iraqi man checks a protective mask at a pharmacy in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf. AFP

An Iraqi student shows an anti-government demonstrator how to wear a protective mask during a rally in the southern Iraqi city of Basra. AFP

An anti-government demonstrator adjusts a protective mask on a child's face in Basra, Iraq. AFP

Kuwaiti children use protective masks as they play with a water gun on the country's national day an day in the country's capital. EPA

Kuwaiti children use protective masks as they play with water balloons during celebrations of the country's national day in the country's capital. EPA

Police officers wearing protective face masks walk with horses on their way to visit residents who live in remote areas in Altay, China. AFP

Emergency forces install an air dome equipped with medical supplies at Spallanzani hospital in case the number of people suffering from coronavirus increases, Rome, Italy. EPA

Emergency forces install an air dome equipped with medical supplies at Spallanzani hospital in case the number of people suffering from coronavirus increases, in Rome, Italy. EPA

Pedestrians wearing protective face masks walk past shops in Milan, Italy. Bloomberg

Workers spray disinfectant as a precaution against covid-19 at Saemaeul traditional market in Seoul, South Korea. EPA

A worker wearing protective gear sprays disinfectant as part of preventative measures against the spread of covid-19 at a railway station in Daegu, South Korea. AFP

Pakistani soldiers wear facemasks patrol near the closed Pakistan-Iran border in Taftan as fears over the spread of covid-19 escalate. AFP

People wearing protective facemasks use their phones on the subway in Shanghai. AFP

The UAE has no plans to cancel public events or close schools, businesses or institutions due to the coronavirus, an official from the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority said.

Speaking to Reuters, the official said the UAE was “well prepared and equipped” for the “worst-case scenario” as the virus continued to gain a foothold in the region, with new cases reported daily.

The official said the UAE was closely monitoring the spread of the virus in other countries and relevant institutions had been instructed to undertake “complete surveillance” of people entering the UAE.

All necessary steps are being taken to ensure cases are detected as early as possible and there are enough facilities available in the country to quarantine patients, the official said.

Experts said the Middle East was developing into a new battleground for the illness, with Iran posing a particular concern.

Several countries across the region reported their first cases of the virus on Monday. Most, if not all, can be traced back to Iran.

The infected people were religious travellers returning from the country.

According to official figures, Iran has 95 confirmed cases and 16 deaths, although this week a member of parliament for Qom, the worst-affected city in Iran, said the death toll stood at 50 in his city alone.

The MP, Ahmad Amirabadi Farahani, was quoted by the semi-official ILNA news agency as saying the 50 deaths dated as far back as February 13.

The first reported cases and deaths in Iran were only released on February 19.

The Iranian government has denied attempting to cover up the full extent of the outbreak.

Oman, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan and Bahrain all announced cases with links to Iran this week.

Bahrain, which had only two cases on Monday, now has 23 confirmed Covid-19 patients.

The first case involved a school bus driver who fell ill days after returning from Iran.

Bahrain initially shut two schools and a nursery where the bus driver picked up children on Sunday, before extending the closure to all schools, nurseries, universities, training centres and community centres for two weeks from Wednesday.

Many of the patients travelled from Iran via Dubai and Sharjah, prompting Bahrain's civil aviation authority to suspend all flights arriving from the emirates for 48 hours early on Tuesday.

The UAE has since suspended all flights to Iran due to the outbreak of the virus in the country.