Coronavirus: Nurseries told to take preventive measures

Muscat: The Ministry of Social Development on Sunday warned the owners and managers of nurseries to take necessary precautions to ensure the safety of children in wake of the new coronavirus outbreak. The Ministry urged the parents not to bring their children to the nursery in case they suffer from any symptoms including high temperature, cold, cough, pharyngeal congestion and breathing difficulties. The ministry also stressed on the need to provide hand sanitizers and sterilizing devices for children and the staff of the nursery. 'It is necessary to ensure that hands are washed with soap and water in the correct way for both children and staff. Parents are not allowed to enter nursery building and only to drop or receive their children from outdoor”, the statement said. It also affirmed not to accept children from the countries where the virus was widespread or children who had traveled to these countries during the past six months, unless recent medical examinations are officially submitted, stressing on not to accept training for any Omani or non-Omani kindergarten staff without a medical examination approved by the Ministry of Health. This comes at a time when the Chinese authorities announced on Sunday that the number of confirmed deaths in the country due to the new coronavirus rose to 304, after this deadly virus killed 45 people in Hubei Province, the epicenter of the epidemic in the center of the country.