Qatar has advised its citizens to avoid travelling to Singapore, "except for the most urgent need", in view of the novel coronavirus (nCoV) situation here.
The advisory, issued by the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Singapore, was mentioned on the Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) website on Sunday, Feb. 9.
This mirrors an earlier decision by Kuwait, whose embassy in Singapore also issued an advisory to its citizens, on Feb. 8:
According to Qatar's MOFA, its embassy stressed the importance of taking the necessary precautions, and following the instructions of Singapore's local authorities.
Qataris were also advised to avoid crowded places and malls, and directed to contact the embassy in cases of emergency.
In addition to the travel advisories issued by Kuwait and Qatar on Feb. 8 and 9 respectively, India had earlier announced thermal screening for visitors from several countries, including Singapore.
As of Monday, Feb. 10, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Singapore stands at 43, after three more cases were confirmed on Sunday, Feb. 9.
Japan and Singapore are the countries with the highest number of confirmed cases besides China.
The current count of 96 confirmed cases in Japan includes 70 on the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Yokohama.
Top image from Safwan Mamud on Unsplash