DUBAI -- Oman confirms its first coronavirus death after a 72-year-old Omani citizen died on Tuesday, the Omani News Agency reported citing the country's health ministry. Earlier in the day, Oman reported 13 new cases of the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 192. A day earlier, Oman confirmed its first case of a patient recovering from the coronavirus after a 28-year-old male recovered from the virus. The total number of cases across all six Gulf Arab states surpassed 4,000 on Tuesday, after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar all recorded new transmissions. Last week, Oman announced new measures to stem the spread of the virus. The new precautions introduced included banning public gatherings, closing all currency exchange shops, and banning publications and the sale of imported publications. Government services must reduce their staffing to only 30 percent of the total number of employees, according to ONA. All other employees will work remotely to combat the outbreak. On March 24, Oman announced it would suspend all internal and international flights for five days, with the exception of cargo operations and flights to Musandam. -- Al Arabiya English
