Qatar defence exhibition cancelled as coronavirus spreads in Gulf

Qatar's Dimdex defense exhibition due to be held this month has been canceled as the coronavirus outbreak spreads throughout the Gulf and wider Middle East.

There have been at least 1,641 cases of the virus in the Gulf region, mostly in Iran where 66 people have died. The March 16-18 Doha International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (Dimdex) was scheduled to take place at the city's exhibition center DECC.

It was canceled after consultations with public health officials and the government, according to a statement on its website. Qatar's Health Ministry said on Tuesday it had recorded a new case of coronavirus, a Qatari national who was among a group evacuated from Iran on Feb. 27. This brings the number of infections in Qatar to eight.