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Iran continued to report higher coronavirus cases and deaths as the World Health Organization prepared to send a larger team to the country.
Emirates Group, which runs the world’s biggest airline by international traffic, is encouraging staff to take leave as the outbreak saps demand for travel.
According to a report by Farah Elbahrawy on Bloomberg, Iran, the epicenter of coronavirus in the Middle East, said the number of confirmed cases almost doubled to 978, with 54 deaths. In the capital Tehran alone, there were 170 new infections.
Mideast breakdown:
- Iran: 978 cases, including 54 deaths
- Kuwait: 46
- Bahrain: 41
- U.A.E.: 21
- Iraq: 12
- Lebanon: 7
- Oman: 6
- Israel: 5
- Qatar: 1
Latest Developments:
- The U.A.E. central bank set up a committee to assess the impact of the virus on the economy.
- “Financial institutions are expected to implement measures such as re-scheduling of loans contracts, granting temporary deferrals on monthly loan payments, and reducing fees and commissions for affected customers.”
- Nurseries in the U.A.E. will be closed for two weeks from Sunday.
- Iraq’s government suspended schools, universities and all educational institutes for a week to start until March 7.