Coronavirus outbreak: Bahrain confirms three new cases of deadly epidemic

Three new coronavirus cases were recently confirmed in Bahrain bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 26. According to reports, all three new cases include Bahraini women who arrived in Bahrain International Airport on indirect flights from Iran. As per reports, nine additional cases were also confirmed in which all the Baharani and Saudi citizens that were discovered to have the coronavirus were travelling from Iran via Dubai and Sharjah through Bahrain airport.

All flights suspended

After the discovery, it was announced that all flights from Dubai and Sharjah would be suspended for two days, starting on February 26. According to reports, the authorities on Tuesday confirmed that they were conducting tests for all those entering Bahrain from affected countries.

In addition, the health ministry also asked all those who had visited Iran in the month of February to voluntarily come forward for testing. Dubai has been screening passengers on incoming flights from China, where the outbreak began. Long-haul carriers Emirates and Etihad are among the few international airlines still flying to Beijing. However, the outbreak in Iran only became public in recent days.

Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: Hong Kong Schools To Remain Shut Till April

Read: Saudi, Egypt, Bahrain To Resume Postal Services With Qatar After 3 Years

Iran’s government said on February 24 that 12 people had died nationwide from the new coronavirus, rejecting claims of a much higher death toll of 50 by a lawmaker from the city of Qom that has been at the epicentre of the virus in the country. The conflicting reports raised questions about the Iranian government’s transparency concerning the scale of the outbreak.

Meanwhile, Kuwait raised the number of its infected cases from three to five people. All five were passengers returning on a flight from the Iranian city of Mashhad, where Iran’s government has not yet announced a single case of the virus. The deadly coronavirus that has been officially named COVID-19 by WHO first surfaced in China's Hubei province and has already infected more than 80,000 people worldwide.

Read: Bahrain Temporarily Stops Dubai, Sharjah Flights Over Virus

Read: 9 Regime Fighters Killed In Northwest Syria In Turkish Shelling

(With inputs from AP)