The Qatari Civil Aviation Authority has instructed airports in Qatar not to accept travelers from Egypt due to coronavirus fears, according to a circular issued on 1 March by the authority to airliners and travel agents.

 

Qatar discovered two new coronavirus cases on Sunday, bringing its total toll to three.

 

There have been no direct flights between Qatar and Egypt since June 2017 when Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain cut most political, trade and transport ties with the tiny Gulf state over charges it supports terrorism, which Doha has denied.

 

Meanwhile, Kuwait's health ministry issued a directive to all the airlines currently working in Kuwait International Airport to impose precautionary procedures on all passengers arriving from Egypt.

 

The directives - issued in a memo dated 1 march and seen by Ahram Online - include testing passengers to see if they have a high temperature.

 

"If the temperature of the passenger is higher than normal, he or she will be transferred to the quarantine to be tested for the viral disease.

 

If the results of the analysis are negative then he or she will be transferred to home quarantine for 14 days, but if the results are positive then then he or she will be transferred to the quarantine hospital," the statement read.

 

Passengers who do not have a fever will have to fill out a health form upon arrival at Kuwait airport, which will record their temperature, according to the directive which was shared on Kuwaiti news websites.