Saudi Arabia on Wednesday suspended work in most of the private sector for 15 days and directed businesses to implement work-from-home policies to stop the spread of the coronavirus that has infected 238 people in the Kingdom.
The health ministry registered 67 new cases of the virus on Wednesday, revealing that six patients have recovered.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday it would bar foreign visitors, banned citizens from going abroad and said anyone entering the country must isolate for two weeks, escalating a battle to curb the spread of coronavirus.
The Saudi human resource ministry directed businesses to close their main offices, reduce staff levels at secondary locations, and take measures to limit contact between workers and monitor them for symptoms of infection.
It outlined exceptions for companies providing vital food and health services as well as utility services for government agencies. Pregnant women, workers over 55 and those with severe pre-existing conditions must be given 14 days additional leave.
The move is the latest in a series of firm measures by Saudi authorities to combat the outbreak, including closing mosques, schools, restaurants, coffee shops and malls, as well as halting international flights and cancelling the Umrah pilgrimage.
Earlier this week, public sector workers were told to take off, the central bank implemented work-from-home measures for banks, and the Council of Ministers cancelled its regular meetings for the next two weeks.
Emiratis barred from travel
The UAE said on Wednesday all arrivals must remain in isolation at home for 14 days from Thursday.
Legal action will be taken against people who do not comply with the order, the state news agency WAM reported Attorney General Hamad al-Shamsi as saying.
The UAE also banned Emiratis from travelling abroad and said it would suspend the issuance of visas on arrival from Thursday until further notice. It had already barred those who do not qualify for visas on arrival.
The steering committee of countries participating in Expo 2020, a world fair starting in October that the UAE hopes will boost its economy, met virtually to discuss how coronavirus is impacting event preparations. The group will reconvene in the coming weeks to reassess the situation, a statement said.
More than 1,000 infections and one death have been reported in the Gulf - many linked to travel to neighboring Iran, which is an epicenter for the outbreak in the Middle East.
Kuwait recorded 12 more cases on Wednesday, including six Kuwaitis, an American resident and a Spanish resident who had all been to Britain.
Bahrain, which this week recorded the Gulf’s first death from the disease, will evacuate more citizens from the Iranian city of Mashhad with a second repatriation flight scheduled for Thursday, a Bahraini official told Reuters.
He said the flight, using an Omani aircraft, had been delayed for a week while quarantine facilities were being prepared in Bahrain, where a main isolation center has been set up on a barren island linked to the mainland by causeway.
Gulf airlines have suspended dozens of routes as the coronavirus outbreak disrupts global travel. The UAE still allows entry of foreign diplomats and residents and foreign visitors can still enter Bahrain. Qatar and Oman continue to permit transit flights.
Qatar, which has the highest number of cases in the Gulf region at 442, and Oman have banned entry of foreigners.
Muscat, which has also prevented citizens from travelling abroad, asked travel operators to advise foreign tourists against staying in the sultanate.
Oman also suspended public transportation, excluding buses serving remote areas, while Qatar said 80% of government employees would work from home.
