Indian sisters: Saudi Health Ministry issues clarification

T-Mag Sunday 09/February/2020 08:32 AM
By: Times News Service
Indian sisters: Saudi Health Ministry issues clarification

Muscat: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), represented by the Ministry of Health, announced on Saturday that laboratory results and examination of the two Indian sisters in Saudi Arabia came back negative for the Novel Coronavirus.

The Ministry, in a statement, said, “The test showed negative samples and because of this and the fact that they have been outside China for more than 14 days, the precautionary isolation procedures have been terminated.”

An earlier statement had said, “The Ministry of Health states that the two Indian sisters who came to the Kingdom through King Fahd International Airport are currently under observation and isolation as a precaution.”

The ministry also clarified that they left China on January 12 for India and stayed there for about 21 days, which is more than the incubation period of the virus and that they have no signs of the virus and that they were not in Wuhan while they were in China.

“They were registered in the Kingdom on February 3, so their entry into the Kingdom after staying outside China for more than fifteen days was regular.”

“Whereby those who were in China during the past fifteen days are prevented from entering the kingdom. Despite this, the epidemiological isolation team went to the family home immediately, samples were taken for laboratory examination and work is underway.”

"The ministry reassures everyone that the cases are not a cause for concern as the incubation period for the virus has ended before they entered the Kingdom and there are no signs of disease, and despite that, the necessary precautions have been taken," the statement said.