Today marks a hundred days since a new strand of the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, was officially reported to the World Health Organisation in China. What happened next is no mystery. The virus is considered likely to have originated in one wet market in China, and from there spread to more than 200 countries and territories, with an exponential infection rate. In early March, there were roughly 88,000 confirmed cases.
By the end of the month, that number was greater than 850,000. Now, Covid-19, the disease caused by this coronavirus, has affected more than 1.3 million people worldwide and killed nearly 76,000.
It is difficult to grasp how much daily life has changed in the past 100 days since the onset of the pandemic. The once-bustling roads of Abu Dhabi, Beirut, London, and beyond have gone silent, and the notion of travelling now seems a distant one. Self-isolation, lockdowns and mass testing have disrupted many routines and foiled many plans, but they are a small price to pay to protect ourselves and our loved ones from disease. Even with these measures, however, lives have been lost.
In the UAE, more than 2,000 people are known to have been infected. While 167 have successfully recovered thus far, 11 have died. It is worth remembering those who have perished, and doing everything necessary to spare others from the same fate. The only way to do this is to continue acting responsibly and heeding the guidance of health authorities.
While many of us can safely remain in our homes, perhaps doing our jobs remotely, many essential workers– from medical staff and pharmacists to supermarket employees, transportation workers, delivery workers and cleaners – continue travelling to their places of work, to the benefit of the wider community. These members of our society have always deserved our appreciation, but they deserve it now more than ever.
It is heartening that, in the face of great adversity, the global community is showing resilience and resolve. The citizens of Wuhan, for instance, initiated a daily 8pm applause from their balconies to inspire one another with courage during the lockdown, and to praise the health workers for their critical role relentlessly to end the crisis.
Self-isolation, lockdowns and mass testing have disrupted daily life, but they are a small price to pay to protect ourselves and our loved ones
This simple gesture has since been replicated on the balconies of the world, from China to the UAE, Italy and Spain. In Dubai, volunteers have brought food and essentials to those quarantined in the Gold Souk on a daily basis, while others have made donations to help people in need and workers who may have lost their main source of income due to the pandemic.
Much of the world has adapted public policy to curb the spread of the virus. In Wuhan, travel restrictions are due to be relaxed for the first time in three months, giving hope to the rest of the world that its ongoing measures will bear fruit. With enough collective effort and will, they will do so sooner rather than later.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Huddersfield Town permanent signings:
Steve Mounie (striker): signed from Montpellier for £11 million
Tom Ince (winger): signed from Derby County for £7.7m
Aaron Mooy (midfielder): signed from Manchester City for £7.7m
Laurent Depoitre (striker): signed from Porto for £3.4m
Scott Malone (defender): signed from Fulham for £3.3m
Zanka (defender): signed from Copenhagen for £2.3m
Elias Kachunga (winger): signed for Ingolstadt for £1.1m
Danny WIlliams (midfielder): signed from Reading on a free transfer
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany - At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people - Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed - Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest - He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
