Yesterday, the UAE reached a pivotal milestone in its fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The government has announced that health authorities conducted more than 2 million tests since the outbreak started, making the UAE the nation that has carried out the highest number of coronavirus tests per capita in the world.
The coronavirus has infected more than 5.5 million people worldwide, killing more than 350,000 people. To halt its spread, the head of the World Health Organisation, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has advised countries to “test, test, test” and for hygiene and physical distancing measures to be enforced to minimise the probability of infection.
With more than 40,000 additional tests announced daily, the UAE had opted for a mass testing strategy, in line with WHO guidelines, to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have set up drive-through testing facilities to encourage as many people as possible to find out if they have caught the virus, a method first developed in South Korea, where cases have significantly dropped since the outbreak first started.
The government has set up dedicated testing and quarantine facilities in at-risk neighbourhoods, such as Abu Dhabi’s Mussafah area, an industrial zone that is also home to many low-income workers, in addition to cordoning off neighbourhoods where infections have been particularly high, such as in Dubai’s Gold Souk. The Dubai Government has also said that a 3,000-bed field hospital at the World Trade Centre and a 1,200-bed centre at Dubai Parks and Resorts have been deployed to handle any overflow of cases. These initiatives have allowed some control over the outbreak, and are paving the way for a partial reopening of the economy.
In Dubai, restrictions will be relaxed starting Wednesday, allowing for people to go about their business outside their homes until 11 pm. Gyms and cinemas will be able to reopen and non-essential medical services will be allowed once more. These new freedoms are, however, subject to people respecting new rules. Physical distancing, wearing masks in public and sanitising one’s hands frequently is still an absolute necessity.
There is only so much authorities can do to protect their people if citizens and residents do not abide by the new safety rules of the coronavirus era.
The UAE has carried out the highest number of coronavirus tests per capita in the world
If the world is to find a semblance of normalcy during this pandemic, we must remember that “everyone is responsible", in the words of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai. Authorities have a significant role to play in imposing and enforcing public health policies to protect the population, but it is the individuals who have the power to make this drive a success or break it apart.
Simple precautions such as wearing face masks outside, washing one’s hands frequently and avoiding touching one’s face, can help us protect one another, and gain back some of the freedoms and economic benefits that we have lost to the coronavirus pandemic.
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
