The GCC has established a joint operations room bringing together member countries to coordinate the regional response to the coronavirus.
The health ministers of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar, as well as the Secretary General of the GCC, Nayef Al Hajraf, held an online meeting on Saturday to discuss the new plan.
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Expatriates wait for mandatory coronavirus testing in a makeshift testing centre in Mishref, Kuwait. REUTERS -
The Minister of Health of Bahrain participates in an emergency meeting held by the Health Ministers of the GCC. Courtesy Bahrain News Agency -
Rafha health sector is intensifying its precautionary efforts around the clock. Courtey SPA -
Bahraini policemen seal off a building housing foreign workers in the Salmabad industrial area as a precautionary measure after a resident tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), on the outskirts of the capital Manama. AFP -
Kuwait's Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khaled al-Sabah (2nd-R), Health Minister Sheikh Basel al-Sabah (2nd-L), and Interior Minister Anas al-Saleh (R) as they listen to a physician while visiting an area designated by Kuwait's Health Ministry for returning expatriates from Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon as they await to be tested for COVID-19 coronavirus disease, in Kuwait City. AFP -
Expatriates wait in line to be tested at a makeshift centre, following the outbreak of coronavirus, in Mishref, Kuwait. REUTERS -
Members of the Hellenic Red Cross check the temperature of Greek riot police officers who wait to enter the Kastanies border crossing area with Turkey's Pazarkule, Greece. REUTERS -
The Minister of Health of Bahrain participates in an emergency meeting held by the Health Ministers of the GCC. Courtesy Bahrain News Agency -
Preventative measures in travel hall of Arar Airport. Courtesy SPA -
The Minister of Health of Bahrain participates in an emergency meeting held by the Health Ministers of the GCC. Courtesy Bahrain News Agency -
A closed door after the last prayer at Al-Satoun Mosque in the Old City of Nablus. The Palestinian Authority closed all mosques and churches in the West Bank and asked Palestinians to pray at home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. EPA -
Iraqi municipality workers disinfect a street in the southern city of Nasiriyah in Dhi Qar province. AFP
The ministers shared the experiences in each member state of tackling and containing the spread of the novel coronavirus, officially called Covid-19, plus the latest statistics and level of preparedness. They discussed education, contingency plans and how the media were responding, the GCC said in a statement.
The ministers praised the “tremendous efforts made by health-sector employees in the GCC states and their tangible contributions to curbing the spread of the Covid-19 virus.”
They urged the public to follow the advice, avoid going to gathering places and maintain safety measures.
The ministers have established a joint operations room and their respective deputy ministers will hold weekly online meetings to exchange information and coordinate the response across the bloc.
The Gulf Health Council, and ministries of health across the GCC, will also issue daily updates on confirmed cases, sources and precautionary measures being taken.
