Wassim Samih Seifeddine, Safiye Karabacak, Mehmet Nuri Ucar and Esat Firat
03 March 2020•Update: 03 March 2020
ISTANBUL
The novel coronavirus continued to spread across the Middle East and Gulf regions Monday as health authorities scrambled to contain the outbreak.
The number of coronavirus cases rose to 21 in Iraq, 13 in Lebanon, 12 in Israel and seven in Qatar.
Two Iraqi citizens who had visited Iran tested positive for the virus, according to a statement from the country’s health ministry.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said three Lebanese who had been in contact with patients under quarantine had contracted the virus.
Israel's Health Ministry also reported new coronavirus cases, saying two people had been diagnosed with the virus after a trip to Italy.
On Thursday, Israeli authorities imposed a ban on the entry of all foreign travelers from Italy, where at least 35 people have died from the virus.
Qatar's Health Ministry announced that the number of cases had risen to seven as four more people had been diagnosed with the virus, including two Qatari citizens who were evacuated from Iran on Feb. 27 and remained in quarantine.
The global death toll from the novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, has reached 3,044, with more than 89,000 infected.
The World Health Organization, which already declared the outbreak an international health emergency, has updated the global risk level to ‘very high.’
*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz
