According to Bloomberg, the UAE is third in the world and first regionally for countries that handled the Covid-19 pandemic most effectively. Photo: Silvia Razgova / The National
According to Bloomberg, the UAE is third in the world and first regionally for countries that handled the Covid-19 pandemic most effectively. Photo: Silvia Razgova / The National
According to Bloomberg, the UAE is third in the world and first regionally for countries that handled the Covid-19 pandemic most effectively. Photo: Silvia Razgova / The National
According to Bloomberg, the UAE is third in the world and first regionally for countries that handled the Covid-19 pandemic most effectively. Photo: Silvia Razgova / The National

Covid rules for UAE Commemoration and National Day events are announced


Georgia Tolley
  • English
  • Arabic

The ‎UAE has announced its precautionary Covid-19 measures for the coming Commemoration Day and 50th National Day events.

Negative PCR test results will be required to attend events and gatherings. Masks will need to be worn when in proximity to other people.

Attendees will not need to maintain social distancing from members of their own family, however.

The National Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Authority set out the regulations on Tuesday during its weekly Covid-19 briefing.

"Let us celebrate safely, and preserve the gains and efforts made for the state for the sake of our health and safety," an Ncema representative said.

The rules announced are as follows.

  • to attend a celebration, attendees must be able to present a negative PCR test taken within 96 hours of the event
  • event capacity is 80 per cent, and temperatures should be taken before entry
  • masks must be worn at all times while indoors or when the event is crowded
  • a physical distance of 1.5 metres must be respected – however, one family is allowed to sit or stand together without the need to apply physical distance
  • people of all ages are allowed to attend the event, provided they have received a vaccine more than 14 days ago, received a booster shot, or have a green-pass status on their Al Hosn application
  • greetings should be given from a distance, without handshakes or hugs
  • social distancing should also be respected during photographs‎

Ncema rules now primarily cover Abu Dhabi, although most of the other emirates base their Covid-19 rules on these guidelines.

According to Bloomberg Covid Resilience Ranking for October, the UAE is third in the world and first regionally when it comes to dealing with Covid-19.

"This reflects the efficiency of its leading model in managing the crisis," the Ncema representative said.

Rules for celebrations

NCEMA rules for National Day celebrations. Photo: NCEMA
NCEMA rules for National Day celebrations. Photo: NCEMA

Event organisers will be required to form teams to ensure that the safety requirements are carried out and respected. They will also ensure that entry and exit is carefully organised to prevent crowding.

Continuous and periodic disinfection is also required. Hand sanitiser should be placed at the entrances and exits of public toilets.

Titanium Escrow profile

Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue  
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Past winners of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

2016 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)

2015 Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)

2014 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)

2013 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)

2012 Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)

2011 Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)

2010 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)

2009 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)

 

The Pope's itinerary

Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport


Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial


Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport

What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
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The Bio

Name: Lynn Davison

Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi

Children: She has one son, Casey, 28

Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK

Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Favourite Author: CJ Sansom

Favourite holiday destination: Bali

Favourite food: A Sunday roast

Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest

Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.

Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.

Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.

Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.

Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.

Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia

FIXTURES

Saturday, November 3
Japan v New Zealand
Wales v Scotland
England v South Africa
Ireland v Italy

Saturday, November 10
Italy v Georgia
Scotland v Fiji
England v New Zealand
Wales v Australia
Ireland v Argentina
France v South Africa

Saturday, November 17
Italy v Australia
Wales v Tonga
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Ireland v New Zealand

Saturday, November 24
|Italy v New Zealand
Scotland v Argentina
England v Australia
Wales v South Africa
Ireland v United States
France v Fiji

Updated: November 03, 2021, 4:56 AM`