Coronavirus cases rise in UAE, Kuwait and Qatar

• The virus, that was first recorded in China in December, has spread across the Gulf region and beyond.
• The majority of the cases diagnosed in the Gulf Arab states are either people who travelled to Iran or were contaminated by them.

DUBAI: The number of coronavirus cases in the United Arab Emirates has risen to 45 from 30, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.

Kuwait recorded three new cases of coronavirus, bringing its infection tally to 61, while Qatar reported its 12th case, the health ministries in the two countries said on Saturday.

The virus, that was first recorded in China in December, has spread across the Gulf region and beyond. The majority of the cases diagnosed in the Gulf Arab states are either people who travelled to Iran or were contaminated by them.

The United Arab Emirates, a major air transit centre, business and tourism hub, has advised citizens and residents against travelling abroad and all schools are closing for a month from Sunday.

Events across the country have also been cancelled or postponed, while some sports, such as horse racing and soccer, are going ahead without any fans in attendance.

Saudi Arabia has closed it land borders with the UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain with the exception for commercial trucks, and is only permitting flights from those countries to three of its airports.

Kuwait has suspended flights to and from Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Bangladesh, the Philippines, India and Sri Lanka for a week, and has banned the entry of foreigners who have been to those countries in the past two weeks.