Oman reports first cases of coronavirus

By Halime Afra Aksoy

ANKARA (AA) – Two women have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus after arriving from Iran, Oman's Health Ministry announced Monday.

The ministry said in a statement that they were the country’s first-ever recorded cases of the coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19.

It further noted that Oman's civil aviation authority has suspended all civilian flights between Oman and Iran until further notice.

The death toll in Iran from the coronavirus outbreak has risen to 12, with 47 confirmed cases. Iran's neighbors have closed their borders to the country amid mounting concerns over the spread of the virus.

The coronavirus has sounded a global alarm, with China reporting 2,592 deaths from the outbreak Monday and over 77,000 confirmed cases.

Outside mainland China, the coronavirus has spread to more than 30 other countries including the U.S., the U.K., Singapore, France, Russia, Spain and India.

The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak an international health emergency.

*Writing by Fahri Aksut