A negative PCR test is needed to attend this year's Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.
Running from May 23 to May 29 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), the book fair has announced a number of public safety measures in response to the pandemic.
Prior registration is required for visitors on the fair’s website and mobile phone app, with a maximum of three hours per session.
Coloured bracelets will be provided upon entry to enable officials to determine when each session has concluded.
Visitors and exhibitors are required to activate the Al Hosn app on their mobile phones and present either a negative PCR test result, to be conducted within 48 hours, or the letter E indicating full vaccination to gain entry.
Body temperatures will be checked upon arrival and there will be allocated entry and exit points. Entry will be temporarily suspended when the fair reaches its allotted capacity.
In addition to daily sanitisation of the venue, all visitors and exhibitors will be required to wear a face mask at all times and maintain social distancing of two metres.
“This exhibition is the largest international book fair to be held since the beginning of this year,” said the fair’s new executive director Moza Al Shamsi.
“Today we are pleased to announce our full readiness to host an event of this size, only possible due to the success of Abu Dhabi in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Announcements of the fair's return continue the resurgence of the region's publishing industry, which includes the successful staging of the Sharjah International Book Fair last November and the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in March.
Germany is the guest of honour
As well as running under a hybrid model blending in-person and digital events, the book fair will hold a part of its programme outside Adnec.
This will include a series of German film screenings at Manarat Al Saadiyat Park from Thursday, May 27 to Saturday, May 29, in addition to the exhibition From Cinderella to Sinbad: German and Arab Timeless Tales, at the Cultural Foundation from May until September. Dates for the latter will be announced soon.
Both events are part of Germany's role as this year's guest of honour of the book fair.
With the full programme to be announced soon, Al Shamsi said it will include a comprehensive list of guest authors, publishing houses and exhibitors, taking part in discussions and panel sessions.
A focus on online publishing
Some of these exchanges will be held online as part of virtual platform for selling copyrights in the Arab region.
Launched by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, the initiative is part of the organisation’s push into the online publishing sector, which includes translation grants for ebooks and audiobooks.
It remains to be seen if the ceremonies for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction and the Sheikh Zayed Book Award, which are usually a part of the book fair, will go ahead physically this year.
More information on the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair is available at adbookfair.com
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Read more:
What the Sharjah International Book Fair looks like on the ground: 'Virtual book fairs pale in comparison'
How lessons learnt from the 2021 Emirates Airline Festival of Literature could transform future events
Rare manuscripts and books to go on display at Sharjah Book Authority
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The alternatives
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Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Scorline
Iraq 1-0 UAE
Iraq Hussein 28’
Bareilly Ki Barfi
Directed by: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring: Kriti Sanon, Ayushmann Khurrana, Rajkummar Rao
Three and a half stars
