Friday, March 29, 2024 | Ramadan 18, 1445 H
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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Hospitals, airports ready to vet travellers for Coronavirus

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Muscat: The Ministry of Health is working in tandem with other authorities, as per a public health plan, to examine the travellers coming from countries infected by Coronavirus.


On Sunday, a high-level meeting reviewed the preparations and procedures used in coordination with the Public Authority Civil Aviation (PACA), Oman Airports and the Royal Oman Police.


As of January 26, the number of recorded cases of new Coronavirus (nCoV-2019) infection globally reached 2,009, of which 1,975 cases were in China with 56 deaths.


Minister of Health Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al Saeedi, convened a special meeting of Directorate General of Diseases Surveillance and Control to discuss the Sultanate’s preparedness in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak.


Outreach plan: The meeting discussed the preparations of hospitals and health institutions to address any suspected cases of the Novel Coronavirus as well as the provision of laboratory fluids and reagents in the Central Public Health Laboratory.


The meeting also touched upon the community outreach plan through social media channels.


So far, no cases of Coronavirus have been reported in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, including Oman, the Ministry of Health (MoH) said, quoting the WHO regional office. The ministry urged all citizens and residents to take information from formal statements or via the MoH Contact Centre at (20441999) in case of any inquiry.


Meanwhile, Oman Airports has issued a circular to all airlines instructing them to take the necessary precautions required by the Sultanate to deal with potential cases of the new Coronavirus.


Airlines were instructed to apply a set of emergency rules which require them isolate the passengers who are suspected of being infected with the virus from the rest of the passengers. Departure lounges should be supplied with billboards and screens displaying information and instructions about the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) which should followed by the passengers during the flight.


Oman Airports will be responsible for the display of instructions and awareness at the departure lounge while the material will be designed in cooperation with the ministry of health.


With regard to the arrivals, necessary precautions should be taken by all the airlines which, as per the circular, are required to give voice instruction to the passengers before landing on the Sultanate’s airports. Arriving passengers should be updated with the outbreak of the new coronavirus as well as the symptoms of the disease. Passengers who had been in contact with a person infected with the coronavirus over the past 14 days are required to fill in health declaration form which will be available in all airlines.


As per the instructions, passengers directly coming from or transiting through China should fill in health declaration forms.


The ability of the new coronavirus to spread is strengthening and infections could continue to rise, China’s National Health Commission said on Sunday.


Some experts believe the virus is not as dangerous as the 2002-03 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) that killed 800 people, and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), which has killed more than 700 people since 2012.


With Kabeer Yousuf


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