Passengers coming from China are checked by Saudi Health Ministry employees upon their arrival at King Khalid International Airport.
Riyadh - No recorded coronavirus cases in Saudi Arabia, said health ministry.
Published: Mon 2 Mar 2020, 6:31 AM
Updated: Mon 2 Mar 2020, 12:43 PM
Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it had prepared 25 hospitals to handle any coronavirus cases that might be detected in the Kingdom, part of precautionary measures which include closing its borders to foreign 'Umrah' pilgrims.
Health ministry spokesman Mohammed Abdelali told a news conference that 2,200 hospital beds were dedicated for quarantine cases. (Coronavirus outbreak: All the latest updates)
The Kingdom has not recorded any cases of the new coronavirus so far, he said, adding that Saudi Arabia's trade activity had not been impacted and "is going as usual".
He told a news conference Sunday that 2,200 hospital beds are dedicated for quarantine cases, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
Saudi Arabia, which has Islam's two holiest sites, on Thursday announced a ban on foreigners coming to the kingdom for the Umrah pilgrimage, which can take place at any time of the year, and to tourists from at least 25 countries where the virus has been found.
Other Gulf Arab states have reported coronavirus cases, many linked to visits to Iran or involving people who have come into contact with people who had been there.
Iran has reported 54 deaths from the virus, the highest number of deaths from the virus outside of China, where the outbreak originated late last year.
(Coronavirus: Everything you need to know about the Covid-19 Wuhan virus outbreak)
The ministry had taken precautionary measures that included:
1- Medical resources: equipping 25 hospitals to receive confirmed cases, providing 80,000 beds in all health sectors, 8,000 intensive care unit, and 2,200 isolation beds.
2- In the ports: Conducting more than 6000 medical examinations in the air and land ports, applying the quarantine of those suspected of being infected, applying the passport disclosure to all arriving at the international ports, and health awareness of the aircraft and the ports.
3- Monitoring and control: circulating the procedures manual for the new Coronavirus for health personnel in all health facilities, monitoring the epidemiological situation with the World Health Organization through the command and control center, intensifying visits by field teams to ensure the readiness of emergency departments to receive suspected cases, and updating the electronic monitoring system (Hosn), which guarantees that the notification, upon entering the system, will reach the rapid response teams in order to respond immediately, and create a dedicated webpage for disease updates and everything related to it, and ensure that all medical supplies are available within the Kingdom.
4- Diagnostic capabilities: The identification of the national laboratory at the Saudi Center for Disease Prevention and Control to be the only reference laboratory for examining cases to ensure the quality of work and following up all samples and cases in all regions of the Kingdom.
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