Authorities in the Gulf state, which has reported at least 27 coronavirus cases, may order medical checks on travellers when they return and ask them to stay in isolation at home for 14 days, WAM cited a health ministry statement as saying.

The UAE is closing schools and educational institutions for four weeks on March 8, and students and education workers will have to spend a compulsory two weeks at home after returning from overseas.

The Gulf Arab state is a major hub for international air travel and its Dubai airport is one of the world's busiest, handling 86.4 million passengers last year, most of whom were in transit.

Dubai's health authority said on Wednesday a student had contracted the virus from a parent who had travelled overseas.

Copyright Reuters, 2020