• February 28, 2020
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Iran worst hit in COVID-19 outbreak’s spread to Middle East

The coronavirus outbreak remains an alarming global threat with its continued spread in the Middle East. Iran has taken the worst hit, with a total of 245 cases of infection and at least 26 deaths as of 28 February. Some Iranian officials have already tested positive for coronavirus, including vice president Masoumeh Ebtekar and deputy health minister Iraj Harirchi.

Despite bearing the brunt of the outbreak, Iran has insisted that it will not impose a lockdown or quarantine on entire cities. "We have no plan to quarantine any district or any city. We only quarantine individuals. If an individual has early symptoms, that person must be quarantined", said Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in a cabinet meeting.

Kuwait has the second most cases in the region, with 43 cases in total to date. Iraq has recorded seven so far, with a first case in the capital Baghdad and Kirkuk. Meanwhile, Lebanon has three and Oman has two cases. All patients from these four countries had previously travelled to Iran.

Bahrain has 33 cases and the United Arab Emirates has 19. Israel also has three known cases, two of which can be traced back to the quarantined cruise liner Diamond Princess in Japan.

In neighbouring Saudi Arabia, there had been no cases of COVID-19 yet, but the country is keen on preventing the entry of the disease. The kingdom has banned all religious pilgrimages to Mecca and Medina in the meantime. The kingdom has also implemented a temporary measure of denying entry to visitors holding tourist visas from countries with confirmed coronavirus outbreaks.

Other countries have also imposed their own measures to contain the outbreak. Iraq, for one, has imposed a ban on public gatherings as well as the entry of travellers from Bahrain and Kuwait. Reuters also reports that a decree has been issued banning Iraqis from travelling to a total of nine countries: China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Italy, Bahrain, and Kuwait.

UAE has begun the construction of a medical facility away from residential areas to treat patients. Bahrain has also temporarily halted flights to and from Lebanon and Iraq. Qatar has ordered the evacuation of Qatari and Kuwaiti citizens from Iran as well.