Over the course of a few weeks, Middle East has watched a scale of unprecedented health crisis with a rapid growth of COVID-19 cases. With UAE becoming the first Middle East country with a coronavirus positive case, important measures are now being taken by the government to contain the virus.
To control the fallout, government authorities are taking strict measures, from total lockdowns to travel restrictions to ensure less mobility and social distancing. Further, the coronavirus pandemic has compelled the government to ban entries for foreign nationals for countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, UAE, among others. As the grim indicator of the severity, Iran which attracts millions of tourists, has over 27,017 cases as of March 25, 2020, is now taking steps and forging national solidarity by closing its four pilgrimage sites and cancelling Friday prayers.
Along with that, countries like Israel and UAE have imposed closing of tourist sites, schools, and colleges, screenings at airports, restrictions on mass events, and practicing self-isolation to flatten the curve. Like much of the rest of the world, countries of the Middle East are trying to come up with more preparedness by drafting plans and initiatives to combat the spread of the deadly coronavirus.