UAE bans all flights with Iran over coronavirus outbreak

United Arab Emirates on Tuesday banned all flights to and from Iran over outbreak of new coronavirus, just a day after its spre was anunced across multiple Mideast nations from Islamic Republic.

UAE, home to long-haul carriers Emirates and Etih, remains a key international transit route for Iran's 80 million people. flight ban, which will last at least a week, shows growing concern over spre of virus in Iran amid worries outbreak may be larger than what authorities re w ackwledge.

Emirates' General Civil Aviation Authority me anuncement via country's state-run WAM news ncy, just hours after Dubai International Airport, world's busiest for international travel, said re would be restrictions on flights re.

“All passenger and cargo aircraft traveling to and from Iran will be suspended for a period of one week, and could be up for extension,” authority said. “ decision is a precautionary measure undertaken by UAE to ensure strict monitoring and prevention of spre of new coronavirus.”

Emirates, government-owned carrier based in Dubai, flies daily to Tehran. Its low-cost sister airline, FlyDubai, flies to multiple Iranian cities, as does Sharjah-based low-cost carrier Air Arabia.

anuncement came after Bahrain said it would suspend all flights from Dubai and Sharjah, a neighboring UAE emirate that is home to Air Arabia, for 48 hours.

Bahrain's Health Ministry on Tuesday raised number of infected cases from new virus to eight, saying that all h traveled from Iran via Dubai. Four of m have been identified as Saudi nationals. cases were confirmed upon arrival to Bahrain during screenings at airport, and prior to suspension on flights to Dubai and Sharjah, according to Bahrain's official news ncy.

Dubai has been screening passengers on incoming flights from China, where outbreak began in December. Long-haul carriers Emirates and Etih are among few international airlines still flying to Beijing. However, outbreak in Iran only became public in recent days.

vel coronavirus has infected more than 80,000 people globally, causing around 2,700 deaths, mainly in China. World Health Organization has named illness COVID-19, referring to its origin late last year and coronavirus that causes it.

Iran's government said Monday that 12 people h died nationwide from new coronavirus, rejecting claims of a much higher death toll of 50 by a lawmaker from city of Qom that has been at epicenter of virus in country. conflicting reports raised questions about Iranian government's transparency concerning scale of outbreak.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani sought to reassure nation in a speech on Tuesday, calling new coronavirus an "uninvited and inauspicious passenger.” “We will get through corona," Rouhani said. "We will get through virus.” Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq and Oman also anunced ir first cases of virus on Monday and connected m to travel with Iran.

UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on Arabian Peninsula, has reported 13 cases of new virus. Most of those were connected to Chinese travel.

Meanwhile, Kuwait raised number of its infected cases from three to five people. All five were passengers returning on a flight from Iranian city of Mashh, where Iran's government has t yet anunced a single case of virus.

state-run Kuwait News ncy reported two latest cases on Monday evening in two women whose nationalities were t disclosed. Kuwait h halted over weekend transport links with Iran and was evacuating its citizens from Iran.

Also, Oman, which has good ties with Iran, has halted flights with its Persian Gulf neighbor. Qatar and United Arab Emirates are only two Gulf countries that still have direct flights to Iran.