Coronavirus: UAE announces six more cases of Covid-19

The patients had been in contact with the two UAE Tour team members who tested positive for coronavirus

Physics teacher Regina O'Dwyer demonstrates how Dubai College's remote learning system works. Using Microsoft 365 and Cisco Webex - a Skype-style conference call tool - she can take pupils through live lessons as they sit at home. Victor Besa / The National

Instead of returning to school after the spring break, pupils will login from home for two weeks and watch teachers at Dubai College for each lesson. The school will remain empty except for teachers. Victor Besa / The National

Dubai College principal Michael Lambert said the teachers are preparing to use the remote system for two weeks. Victor Besa / The National

People disembarking from a UAE military transport plane, used to transport medical equipment and coronavirus testing kits provided by the World Health Organisation, upon their arrival in Iran. AFP

Workers clean the Grand Mosque, during the pilgrimage known as Umrah, in the Muslim holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. AP Photo

Labourers unloading medical equipment and coronavirus testing kits provided by the World Health Organisation, from a UAE military transport plane upon their arrival in Iran. AFP

Tonnes of medical equipment and coronavirus testing kits provided by the World Health Organisation are pictured at the Al Maktoum International airport in Dubai as it is prepared to be delivered to Iran by a UAE plane. AFP

An Iranian lab technician loads a centrifuge with blood samples, taken from patients suspected of being infected with COVID-19 virus, at a hospital in Tehran. AFP

A man wears a protective face mask, following the outbreak of the new coronavirus, as he walks at the Grand Souq in old Dubai, UAE. Reuters

A worker splashes disinfectant in a classroom as part of sterilisation campaign against the new coronavirus, at the Evangelical School, in Loueizeh, east of Beirut, Lebanon. AP Photo

Lebanese workers spray disinfectant in classrooms and halls of a school in the coastal town of Rmeileh, 35km south of the capital Beirut in an effort to prevent a novel coronavirus outbreak in the country. AFP

People wearing protective masks are seen on a street in Kuwait City, amid a global outbreak of the novel Coronavirus. AFP

An empty classroom is seen in a private school in Hawally, after the Ministry of Edudution suspended schools and universities due to the coronavirus outbreak, in Kuwait city. Reuters

A health worker is pictured inside a newly erected coronavirus quarantine centre in Sanaa, Yemen. Reuters

Jordanian Health Minister Saad Jaber and Minister for Media Affairs Amjad al-Adaileh attend a news conference after the country's first case of the coronavirus was confirmed, at the headquarters of the Prime Minister in Amman, Jordan. Reuters

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (left) and Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan attend a press conference at the Central Government Offices in Hong Kong, China. EPA

Chinese President Xi Jinping learning about the progress on the vaccine and anti-body during his visit to the Academy of Military Medical Sciences in Beijing, capital of China. EPA

Latest: UAE schools and universities to close for a month to contain coronavirus

Six more people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the UAE, the Ministry of Health and Prevention said on Tuesday.

The patients include two Russians, two Italians, a German and a Colombian citizen, who are "in a stable condition and receiving all the necessary health care required".

The six people had come into contact with two Italian participants of the UAE Tour who tested positive for coronavirus at the weekend, the Ministry said.

The final stages of UAE Tour were subsequently cancelled and two hotels on Yas Island, where cyclists and team members had stayed, were put under quarantine.

All guests staying at the hotels have since been undergoing medical checks to ensure they are clear of the virus before they are released.

The ministry said Tuesday's new cases were identified during the health examinations at the hotels. On Saturday, authorities said they were screening 600 riders, staff members and media for the virus.

"All individuals within the two quarantined hotels that had no direct contact with athletes and their administrative teams were examined, and that those that tested negative for the coronavirus were allowed to leave the hotel premises," the ministry said on Tuesday. Some of the teams began returning home from Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

The ministry said individuals currently under quarantine will be "re-examined and tested for the virus to ensure their utmost safety."

All buildings, utilities and vehicles will be disinfection and sterilised once the hotels are emptied, the ministry said.

Some people who may have come into contact with the infected patients were house-quarantined and will under go periodic testing over the next two weeks, Abu Dhabi's Department of Health said on Saturday.

Tuesday's new cases brings the UAE's total to 27, with five patients - including a Chinese family of four who were the country's first cases - having already recovered.