Some Gulf states have banned the entry of travelers from Taiwan, China, Vietnam, Singapore and Hong Kong in a bid to limit the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), sources said yesterday.
"According to the media report, Bahrain has banned our nationals from visiting the country. But our representative office is still trying to confirm the information. So far, we've formally confirmed that Saudi Arabia has issued the ban," said Richard Shih (石瑞琦), spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, yesterday morning.
According to Bahrain's English-language newspaper The Gulf Daily News on Wednesday, the civil aviation affairs agency has banned entry of travelers from countries where SARS has been reported.
The ban, which covered China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore and Hong Kong, followed a directive issued by the local health ministry on Monday and came into effect on Tuesday, the report said.
"Saudi Arabia and Qatar have already banned the entry of travelers from these countries," while Kuwait and United Arab Emirates (UAE) are said to be considering similar steps, the report added.
Mark Cheng (
"A local official told me that the decision was made following a joint instruction from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in order to prevent SARS from entering the region," Cheng said yesterday.
"The official dubbed it as a preventive measure," Cheng added. Cheng said the official, whom he met on Tuesday, said the local government would make a final decision "in one or two days," while the next day the local press had already reported the ban.
Cheng said he would continue to consult with Bahrain authorities to try to persuade Manama to change its mind, asking officials to take into consideration what he termed "effective control" of the atypical pneumonia outbreak in Taiwan.
The ministry yesterday also admitted that over 10 countries have issued different degrees of travel warnings to their nationals regarding travel to Taiwan in a bid to limit the spread of the deadly flu-like disease.
According to the information from Taiwan's embassies and overseas representative offices, the ministry put Spain and Poland in one category, while lumping Malaysia, Canada, Thailand, Brunei, France, Mexico and Saudi Arabia in another grouping. Turkey, Papua New Guinea and Estonia have recommended their nationals refrain from any non-essential travels to Taiwan, Shih said.
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