The announcement by health officials on Saturday that 1,007 new cases of coronavirus had been identified in the UAE brought home once again how complex this current moment is.
After a summer when new cases had been tracking downwards – in early August the number of positive tests was consistently around 200 cases per 24-hour reporting period – this four-figure number represented the country’s highest single day confirmed figure since the pandemic began. The previous peak had occurred in the second half of May, when 994 new cases were reported in a day.
There is, of course, some danger in concentrating too much on the headline figure of new cases when the number of active cases tells another part of the story and especially because the entire healthcare sector has responded so well to the pandemic. Hundreds of recoveries are announced every day and the death rate has remained low.
The worst-case scenario has not transpired and the country’s hospitals have not been overwhelmed. Our frontline workers have been an inspiration and have rightly been recognised for their unceasing and selfless work in battling coronavirus.
The UAE’s response to the pandemic has been underpinned by an unwavering commitment to testing, with more than 8.2 million Covid-19 tests so far being carried out on a population of just under 10m. At the current rates of testing, that 10m mark, a true landmark figure, will be breached next month.
In the days since Saturday, the number of new cases being identified has declined to around the same level that we were seeing at the beginning of this month. Both the higher and lower figures illustrate that this will be a long journey out of this crisis with many peaks and troughs along the way.
The risk of burnout also seems to be heightened at this time, as we all take time to absorb the difficult road ahead
The late summer increase in cases has been met with reminders from officials about the regulatory framework in the country.
This week, it was announced employees at UAE federal departments and ministries face up to a 10-day salary cut for breaking pandemic safety guidelines, which include mandatory face masks and physical distancing protocols. A list of general fines that can be levied has also been circulated by the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources as a reminder of the rules.
Authorities in Dubai said they issued more than 3,000 warnings and over 200 fines in four shopping malls last weekend. Some restaurants have been fined. Shops have also been held accountable, while a few individuals are being held to account for breaching mandatory home quarantine orders. Police in the emirate have urged hotels and businesses connected with the tourism industry to refrain from organising crowded events.
An official in Dubai said this week that “everyone needs to adhere to the precautionary measures in order to protect public health and to ensure business continuity”.
This statement recognises that only the very few set out to deliberately break the rules, which explains why the authorities have been uncompromising in the case of a man who is reported to have bragged online about going out for coffee despite being infected with coronavirus. If found guilty, he faces a fine of up to Dh50,000 for breaking quarantine rules and a potentially larger fine and a possible custodial sentence for disobeying cybercrime laws.
Thankfully, these remain relatively isolated cases. Generally, communities have shown great willingness to follow advice on physical distancing, wearing masks and other measures.
So much of our ability to get out of the pandemic will be based on personal responsibility to adhere to the rules rather than relying on more stringent regulation being drawn up and enforced. We all need to continue to support each other in this endeavour.
But the higher positive tests announced earlier this week also mean that most of us are now constantly recalculating when we think this will all be over.
Unfortunately, there will be no hard switch into a so-called ‘new normal’. The great reset that the pandemic has forced the world to undertake was always likely to be a sequence of events rather than a single moment of transition and transformation, and so it is proving to be.
If anything, that spike in cases reminded us that we are entering another and more complicated phase in the pandemic.
Most of us are now acutely aware that getting out of the restriction of movement orders that characterised the spring and early summer is substantially harder than locking down in the first place. This phase of the pandemic seems particularly tricky to navigate as businesses, workplaces and schools seek to reopen and new cases are identified.
Having spent five months with their doors closed, schools across the country began to reopen last month with a variety of learning models, ranging from in-person teaching with reduced class sizes to a short-term continuation of distance learning.
Some schools have transferred back to full distance learning once again this month after breaching the low threshold for possible closure, which stands at two or more cases being detected among pupils and staff. Their story seems to symbolise the circumstances for society at large. We may see periods of stop and start and we will need to constantly adapt.
The risk of burnout also seems to be heightened at this time, as we all take time to absorb the difficult road ahead. To get through this next phase, we will all need to fall back on our reserves of empathy, resilience and patience. It may not be easy.
Nick March is an assistant editor-in-chief at The National
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
FIGHT CARD
Fights start from 6pm Friday, January 31
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) v Ahmed Saeb (IRQ)
Women’s bantamweight
Cornelia Holm (SWE) v Corinne Laframboise (CAN)
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (JOR) v Vitalii Stoian (UKR)
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) v Ali Dyusenov (UZB)
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) v Delfin Nawen (PHI)
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) v Mohamed El Mokadem (EGY)
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) v Ramadan Noaman (EGY)
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) v Reydon Romero (PHI)
Welterweight
Ahmed Labban (LEB) v Juho Valamaa (FIN)
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) v Austin Arnett (USA)
Super heavyweight
Roman Wehbe (LEB) v Maciej Sosnowski (POL)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
The details
Colette
Director: Wash Westmoreland
Starring: Keira Knightley, Dominic West
Our take: 3/5
The biog
Birthday: February 22, 1956
Born: Madahha near Chittagong, Bangladesh
Arrived in UAE: 1978
Exercise: At least one hour a day on the Corniche, from 5.30-6am and 7pm to 8pm.
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi? “Everywhere. Wherever you go, you can relax.”
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The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
The biog
Hometown: Birchgrove, Sydney Australia
Age: 59
Favourite TV series: Outlander Netflix series
Favourite place in the UAE: Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque / desert / Louvre Abu Dhabi
Favourite book: Father of our Nation: Collected Quotes of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
Thing you will miss most about the UAE: My friends and family, Formula 1, having Friday's off, desert adventures, and Arabic culture and people
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The five pillars of Islam
Griselda
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Moonfall
Director: Rolan Emmerich
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Halle Berry
Rating: 3/5
Oscars in the UAE
The 90th Academy Awards will be aired in the UAE from 3.30am on Monday, March 5 on OSN, with the ceremony starting at 5am
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The five pillars of Islam
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
