Bahrain’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday nine further cases of the new coronavirus had been registered in the Gulf kingdom, bringing the total to 17.
The new cases were carried by Bahraini and Saudi nationals who arrived at Bahrain International Airport from Iran via Dubai or Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates before the country’s civil aviation authority suspended flights from those cities.
Earlier in the day, six new coronavirus cases were confirmed in Bahrain.
“The ministry indicated that the infected individuals had arrived in Bahrain after a visit to Iran,” Bahrain News Agency reported.
Those infected were immediately taken to a health center where they were quarantined and would be treated, added the Agency. Those accompanying the infected travelers were also quarantined as a precautionary measure after they tested negative for the virus.
Saudi Arabia’s health ministry said it is coordinating with the Bahrain health ministry to treat the four infected Saudi nationals. The four women will remain in Bahrain until they are cured.
The ministry is taking all appropriate and preventative measures to test all passengers arriving from infected countries, the news agency reported. The news agency also said the ministry urged all citizens and residents who are experiencing symptoms of the virus to isolate themselves, avoid close contact with others and follow instructions given to them by the medical team.
Iran's government said Monday that 12 people had died nationwide from the new coronavirus, rejecting claims of a much higher death toll of 50 by a lawmaker from the city of Qom that has been at the epicenter of the virus in the country. The conflicting reports raised questions about the Iranian government’s transparency concerning the scale of the outbreak.
Afghanistan, Kuwait, Iraq, and Oman also announced their first cases of the virus on Monday and connected them to travel with Iran.
The UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, has reported 13 cases of the new virus. Most of those were connected to Chinese travel.
Meanwhile, Kuwait said on Tuesday three more nationals had been infected with the coronavirus, all of them people who had returned from Iran, state news agency KUNA reported.
The three new cases - who were in a stable condition and under quarantine - brought the total number of in Kuwait to eight, KUNA said.
Kuwait had halted over the weekend transport links with Iran and was evacuating its citizens from Iran.
