Coronavirus: UAE confirms 14 new cases taking total to 59

Five more patients have now recovered

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The UAE announced 14 new cases of coronavirus on Monday, taking the total to 59.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention said all cases were stable and undergoing treatment.

The patients are four Emiratis, three Italians, two Bangladeshis, two Nepalese, a Russian, an Indian and a Syrian.

The ministry said the latest cases were identified after an "active and continuous investigation" into people who came in contact with previously diagnosed patients, who are now receiving treatment in quarantine.

In other developments, five patients recovered, taking the total to 12.

The patients are two Emiratis, two Ethiopians and a Thai citizen.

At the weekend, Emirati officials said a Chinese family of four from Wuhan, the first cases in the Middle East, had recovered and left hospital.

Officials repeated advice to wash hands thoroughly with soap and water and cover the nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing with the inside of the elbow to avoid spreading germs.

 

People with respiratory symptoms were also advised to avoid mixing in crowded places, while members of the public were told to avoid misinformation and rumours by referring to official sources for information.

In other developments on Monday:

On Monday, retailers were warned that they faced huge fines if they tried to take advantage of the outbreak to raise the price of hand sanitiser and soap.

The Ministry of Economy said outlets would be issued with fines of between Dh5,000 and Dh100,000 if inspections revealed they were inflating costs.

Arabic language newspaper Al Roeya said it found some shops increased the price of soap, sanitisers and wet wipes by as much as 200 per cent.

Al Ain Municipality said on Twitter that it would close all public parks as a precaution to reduce risk. Public parks in the rest of the country largely remain open.