Saudi Arabia imposes ‘travel ban’ to China

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10 more sick with virus on one of two isolated cruise ships

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Feb 6, (AP): Saudi Arabia on Thursday barred its citizens and residents of the kingdom from traveling to China amid the new virus outbreak.

The kingdom’s General Directorate of Passports said the measure was in response to the new virus believed to have stemmed from central China. It warned that any residents of the kingdom who violate this order will not be allowed to return to Saudi Arabia. It also said that regulatory provisions on travel documents would be applied to citizens who violate the travel ban, without further elaboration.

The statement was carried by the staterun Saudi Press Agency. On Sunday, Saudi Arabia’s flagship national carrier, Saudia, joined other major airlines in suspending flights to China. Also on Sunday, 10 Saudi students were evacuated from the Chinese city Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, and quarantined upon arrival to Riyadh for two weeks.

The virus has not yet been detected in Saudi Arabia, but five cases – among them a family of four from Wuhan – have been confirmed in neighboring United Arab Emirates. Other nations, like the United States, have also taken drastic steps. The US is temporarily barring entry to foreign nationals, other than immediate family of US citizens and permanent residents, who have traveled in China within the last 14 days.

The viral outbreak that began in China has infected more than 28,200 people globally. China has had over 560 deaths and a death has also occurred in the Philippines. Ten more people were sickened with a new virus aboard one of two quarantined cruise ships with some 5,400 passengers and crew aboard, health officials in Japan said Thursday, as China reported 73 more deaths and announced that the first group of patients were expected to start taking a new antiviral drug. The ships in Japan and Hong Kong are caught up in a global health emergency that seems to worsen by the day.

In the port city of Yokohama, just outside Tokyo, health workers said 10 more people from the Diamond Princess were confirmed ill with the virus, in addition to 10 others who tested positive on Wednesday.

The latest infections included four Japanese, two Americans, two Canadians, one New Zealander and one Taiwanese. Most were in their 60s and 70s. They were dropped off as the ship docked and transferred to nearby hospitals for further test and treatment. The 3,700 people on board faced a two-week quarantine in their cabins. The ship had 2,666 passengers and 1,045 crew members.

More tests are pending on 171 others who had symptoms or had contact with a man who was diagnosed with the virus after leaving the ship in Hong Kong, the Health Ministry said. The 3,600 people aboard the Hong Kong ship, the World Dream, were also being screened after three passengers on a previous voyage were diagnosed with the virus. The territory’s beleaguered leader, Carrie Lam, announced that two terminals – including one where the cruise ship is currently quarantined – will be shut down.

The director-general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on Wednesday asked for $675 million to help countries address the expected spread of the virus. He acknowledged that the sum is a lot, but told a news briefing that “it’s much less than the bill we will face if we do not invest in preparedness now.”

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