US embassy cable - 03ABUDHABI1983

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 001983 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/RA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL 04/26/2008 
TAGS: ECON, ETRD, PREL, PHUM, PGOV, SOCI, TC 
SUBJECT:  UAEG REACTS -- AND OVERREACTS - TO SARS 
 
 
1. (U) Classified by DCM Richard A. Albright reasons 
1.5 (B) and (D). 
 
2. (U) The UAE Ministry of Health will install thermal 
scanners at Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports to check the 
temperatures of airline passengers as a defense 
against SARS.  Passengers traveling from SARS infected 
countries will submit special disembarkation cards 
with their contact information in the UAE to keep 
track of their whereabouts. Transit passengers from 
SARS-affected countries will not be allowed off their 
flights and those who need to change flights will be 
sequestered in a separate hall away from other 
passengers. 
 
3. (U) Medical teams have been assigned to monitor 
passengers arriving from east Asia until the scanners 
are installed.  If someone is observed with breathing 
difficulties or a high temperature, the individual 
will be isolated and given a check-up.  Passengers are 
also  told to go to a public health clinic if they 
feel any of the SARS symptoms within ten days of 
arrival. 
 
4. (C) An advisor to the Chairman of Abu Dhabi's Civil 
Aviation Department Patrick Gordon, told Econoff that 
a Gulf Air flight from China had been turned back in 
the early morning hours of April 26 by orders from the 
highest levels of the Ministry of Health and CID. 
Though all the passengers had been checked for SARS- 
like symptoms before they boarded the flight, 
officials have become paranoid about incoming flights 
from east Asia and refused permission for the flight 
to land.  (Note: The flight was re-routed back to 
China via Sudan and Bahrain.  End note.)  Gordon 
stated that the UAE's response to SARS was in a state 
of flux and that officials were meeting to coordinate 
a permanent plan for air travel from east Asia, which 
might possibly include a total ban on such flights. 
 
5. (C) Comment: The UAE's response to SARS is a work 
in progress.  Having initially responded slowly to 
implementing safety procedures for fear of frightening 
businesspeople and tourists, the UAEG might now be 
overreacting.  The public posture is in line with the 
international standards recommended by WHO, but behind 
the scenes, officials are scrambling to implement a 
cohesive program. With regard to the re-routing of the 
Gulf Air flight, we would defer to Embassy Muscat but 
believe the return may have resulted from a decision 
by the Omani Civil Aviation Authorities, who are the 
overseers/regulators of Gulf Air.  End comment. 
 
Wahba