DOHA, 5 May 2003 — Gulf Arab health officials proposed yesterday that their six countries impose a blanket ban on people coming from states hit hardest by the deadly SARS virus.
Abdullatif Al-Khal, head of the infectious diseases department at Qatar’s Public Health Ministry, said the ban would apply to China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) — which includes Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman — is host to a large population of migrant workers from Asia.
“Passengers from these countries would not be allowed to enter GCC states, unless they have spent the preceding 10 days outside these countries,” he told reporters after a meeting with his Gulf counterparts in the Qatari capital Doha to discuss ways of preventing the spread of the flu-like SARS disease.
Under the proposal — which needs to be approved by GCC health ministers — Gulf nationals coming from those countries would be quarantined for 10 days.
Air passengers coming from Canada, Vietnam, Philippines and Thailand would be screened at airports prior to entry. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have already barred visitors coming directly from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam less than 10 days prior to arrival.
The World Health Organisation has declared the Middle East free of SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which has killed nearly 450 people and infected almost 6,800 worldwide. Qatar has quarantined an American and an airline hostess from Thailand who had developed some symptoms associated with SARS. A Qatari who was studying in China was also quarantined.
