Following the statement made by a top Chinese diplomat, claiming that China will be among the first countries to develop a vaccine and specific drug to treat the new coronavirus, COVID-19, the Chinese embassy in the UAE has released several notices, urging Chinese residents and tourists to cooperate with all immigration and quarantine measures requested by the UAE.
Up until Tuesday [February 18], more than 12,000 patients in China have been cured, far exceeding the number of mortality.
Important Advisory on Coronavirus Issued for Chinese Expats in UAE
Ni Jian, the Chinese Ambassador to the UAE, said “We are doing everything to safeguard the health of Chinese people and to contribute to global public health. A victory for China is a victory for the world as well,” as shared in a report by WAM.
The ambassador said the Chinese Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate-General in Dubai are coordinating with the relevant UAE authorities on disease prevention and matters regarding Chinese citizens traveling from China.
“We have maintained close communication with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ministry of Health and Prevention, airports, immigration, customs, airlines, etc,” added Jian.
The notices issued by the embassy urged Chinese residents and tourists to cooperate with all immigration and quarantine measures requested by the UAE, including medical screening and isolation, keeping a close eye on the official information issued by the UAE health authorities, and taking all necessary precautionary measures.
The Chinese ambassador further explained that Chinese citizens who have recently returned from China or hosted visitors from China are asked to be in home isolation for 14 days, and if they show symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat or breathing difficulties, they should immediately see a doctor and explain the situation.
In the same manner, Chinese nationals are also asked to avoid crowded public places, restrict gatherings and dinner parties, keep good personal hygiene, and implement effective self-prevention measures.
Jian pointed out: “It is also important to listen to official information instead of rumors, and not to panic. Our embassy and Consulate-General have opened 24-hour consular assistance hotlines, and registered relevant Chinese citizens to follow-up on their health conditions.“
In a separate report, Gulf health ministers have commended the UAE’s effective measures against the novel coronavirus after keeping suspected Arab nationals inside the county for the required quarantine time before allowing them to return to their respective countries.
This development came as the health ministers from the Gulf states gathered on Feb. 20 (Thursday) for an emergency meeting in the Saudi capital to discuss the growing concerns over the novel coronavirus, Covid-19.
The delegation from the UAE, headed by Abdul Rahman bin Mohammad bin Nasser Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, attended the emergency meeting at the HQ of the GCC General Secretariat.
The meeting followed the WHO’s announcement on Sunday (Feb 16) about a total of nine confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
As of this writing, the outbreak of Covid-19 has already claimed 1,874 lives and according to the latest WHO statistics, there are 71,429 laboratory-confirmed cases, of which 2,162 are new.
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