When China sneezes, the world takes to its sick bed

Regional tourism may suffer the debilitating effects of Covid-19, which can be passed through the air.

Kuwaiti health minister Sheikh Basel al-Sabah (R) speaks to the press at Sheikh Saad Airport in Kuwait City, on February 22. (AFP)

The MENA region’s first confirmed coronavirus deaths ­ — two Iranians in the holy city of Qom — are reminders of a two-pronged reality: the world is increasingly linked and it has a growing reliance on China.