Emiratis and expats were urged to avoid foreign travel as airports stepped up checks on arriving passengers.

Returning residents may be tested at the airport and - depending on their travel history - be placed in 14-day quarantine at home, the Ministry of Health said. Tourists from a range of countries, including high-risk outbreak areas, can also expect checks.

Basic tests involve walking past thermal scanners, which allow medical officials to spot raised body temperature, potentially caused by fever. Some airports use handheld temperature scanners placed on a passenger's forehead, which works in the same way and takes moments.

If a person does travel, there will be preventative measures at the point of re-entry

Ministry of Health

Those found with high temperatures may be subject to a nasal swab, which is then placed into a solution. It takes a few minutes and determines whether the person has signs of illness - without formally confirming diagnosis.

Any travellers who test positive would be taken to a medical facility and monitored.

The ministry announced the move on Thursday, ahead of a month-long school closure from Sunday.

The statement read: "The Ministry of Health and Prevention has urged citizens and residents to avoid travelling abroad due to the spread of Covid-19 in multiple countries.

"Those who travel may face preventative measures upon their return to the UAE - at the discretion of competent authorities - including undergoing medical checks at the airport, and a 14-day quarantine.

"Those who test positive will be transferred to a designated health facility for treatment and quarantine to ensure their safety and to avoid contact with others."

Officials said they were taking a series of measures to prevent the spread of the virus, which has been confirmed in 28 patients in the UAE.

“Among the most prominent of these efforts is the distribution of the medical guide to health and governmental facilities and the private sector, in addition to other sectors such as education, borders and tourism, and the provision of isolation rooms in all the hospitals, as well as placing thermal detectors on all air, land and sea ports,” the ministry said.

Earlier, on Wednesday, Dubai Airports officials said seven gates were set aside to handle oncoming flights and screen passengers travelling from four high-risk destinations.

All passengers arriving at Dubai International Airport and Dubai World Central from Beijing, Syria, Lebanon and Italy will be checked using thermal screening, said Damian Ellacott, vice president of operations at the Airport Operations Control Centre.

It is not clear if the list of countries has expanded since the announcement on Thursday