Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia imposes air travel ban as regional toll mounts

Worst-affected Iran reports 43 more deaths from Covid-19 and nearly 600 more cases

Mohammed Alabed Alali, Saudi Arabia's health ministry spokesman, addresses reporters during a press briefing about coronavirus, in the capital Riyadh. AFP

Egyptians bound for GCC countries gather in front of the Central Public Health Laboratories in downtown Cairo as they wait to get tested for coronavirus. AFP

People wearing protective face masks in a street in Kuwait City, Kuwait. EPA

Egyptians bound for GCC countries gather in front of the Central Public Health Laboratories in downtown Cairo as they wait to get tested for coronavirus. AFP

Egyptian health ministry emergency responders stand next to ambulances ready on the scene to transport suspected coronavirus cases that were detected on a Nile cruise ship, in the southern city of Luxor. AFP

Afghan officials disinfectant public areas after positive cases of Coronavirus near the Iranian border in Herat, Afghanistan. EPA

Workers employed by a private cleaning company disinfect a mosque in the flashpoint city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank. AFP

An Iraqi health ministry worker scans the body temperature of a passenger in an incoming vehicle in Iraq's northern city of Mosul. AFP

Medics treat a patient infected with the coronavirus, at a hospital in Tehran, Iran. AP Photo

A woman wearing a face mask walks past an electronic board showing Asian stock indexes at a shopping mall in Bangkok. AFP

A picture taken with a fisheye lense shows traders walking by beneath a stock display board at the Dubai Stock Exchange in the the UAE. AFP

Football players of Al-Hilal and Al-Ettifaq are in action in Riyadh as the stands are seen empty after the decision of the Saudi Ministry of Sports to stop fans attending. Reuters

A cleric assists a medic treating a patient infected with the new coronavirus, at a hospital in Qom, south of the capital Tehran, Iran. AP

Afghans distribute free masks on a road after positive cases of Coronavirus near the Iranian border in Herat, Afghanistan. EPA

A protester sprays a woman wearing a protective mask with disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus during a rally on International Women's Day in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq. AP Photo

Protesters enter a makeshift disinfecting booth set up by protesters to help protect against the spread of the new coronavirus, during ongoing anti-government protests, in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq. AP Photo

A member of Palestinian security forces wearing a mask stands guard outside Angel Hotel, where American tourists have been quarantined amid coronavirus precautions, in Beit Jala town in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Reuters

A policeman checks the identity card of a Palestinian entering to the city of Bethlehem amid coronavirus precautions, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Reuters

Pedestrians walk past an electronic sign displaying the Hang Seng Index in Hong Kong on March 9, 2020. AFP

South Koreans watch TV news for information on the coronavirus epidemic, in Seoul, South Korea. EPA

A passerby wearing a protective face mask following an outbreak of the coronavirus, walks past an electronic display showing Asian markets indices outside a brokerage in Tokyo, Japan. Reuters

Saudi Arabia on Monday temporarily suspended flights to and from nine countries as part of measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus as the number of cases in the region continued to rise.

The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation said flights by carriers operating from the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, South Korea, Egypt, Italy and Iraq would be stopped until at least Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia will also impose a fine of up to 500,000 riyals on people who do not declare correct health-related information at entry points, state TV reported.

The moves followed the discovery of four new cases, including an American who visited Italy and the Philippines, raising the total to 15.

The kingdom had already shut land and sea borders, closed educational institutions indefinitely and ordered a lockdown in the eastern province of Qatif, where 11 cases were detected.

All cases in the province were reported to be linked to a person who had returned from Iran, the worst-affected country in the region.

Saudi King Salman announced assistance of $10 million to the World Health Organisation to help it battle the coronavirus, which has infected more than 110,000 people worldwide and killed more than 3,800 since it emerged in China late last year.

The death toll from the virus in Iran rose to 237 on Monday with 43 more deaths in the previous 24 hours.

State TV said 595 new infections were detected in the same period, raising the number of confirmed cases to 7,161.

Qatar announced it would shut down schools and universities from Tuesday until further notice.

It barred entry to travellers from China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria and Thailand.

The Qatari Health Ministry said the number of cases in the country stood at 18, 17 of which were related to travel to Iran and the other one to Italy.

Nine patients had completely recovered, while others "are in a stable condition", the ministry said.

Bahrain's Health Ministry raised the number of coronavirus cases detected to 95, while the government extended a two-week closure of all private and public schools and universities until March 29.

Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad also barred all government officials from overseas travel related to work or training for two weeks.

In Kuwait, the number of Covid-19 cases rose to 65 with the Health Ministry announcing one more confirmed infection on Monday.

Parliament was scheduled to convene on Tuesday to hear updates from the government on the situation, the Kuwait News Agency reported, quoting National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al Ghanim.

Egypt's southern tourist centre of Luxor was on Monday closed to visitors until medical experts could examine all hotel guests and cruise ship passengers in the area.

Two cruise ships on the Nile River have been quarantined there in recent days, after 45 people on board one of them tested positive.

There were no immediate details on the second ship.

On Sunday night, Cairo said the number of coronavirus cases across Egypt had reached 55, with one fatality.

He was a German tourist, 60, who was admitted to the hospital on Friday after travelling from Luxor.

Meanwhile, Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hasan warned that the coronavirus was still in the early stages of spreading in the country, which has 32 confirmed cases so far.