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New Covid-19 safety rules for Abu Dhabi that will limit entry to a number of public places to vaccinated people will come into effect on Friday.
Under the measures, which apply to citizens, residents and tourists, proof of vaccination will be required to visit a wide variety of venues, including malls, restaurants and cafes.
The capital's Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee said the protocols were being introduced to contain the spread of the virus as well as new strains, such as the highly contagious Delta variant.
So what public places are now vaccinated-only and how do you demonstrate you have received both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine?
The National examines the new regulations in the emirate.
Which public places must you be vaccinated to enter?
From Friday, anyone wishing to enter the following venues must be inoculated against Covid-19.
> Shopping centres, restaurants, cafes, and all other retail outlets, including those not within a shopping centre. Supermarkets and pharmacies, however, are exempt from this ruling
> Gyms, recreational and sporting facilities and health clubs
> Resorts, museums, cultural centres and theme parks
> Universities, institutes, public and private schools and children’s nurseries
What are the entry rules?
Al Hosn, the UAE's testing and vaccination app, will act as a health pass to secure entry to the public places listed above.
Anyone who has a vaccinated confirmation on the app – which is displayed after two doses – and has green status will be permitted to access those facilities.
Green status is achieved through a negative PCR test and remains valid for 30 days.
Entry is also allowed for those exempted from vaccination with green status on Al Hosn, which appears after a negative PCR test result and remains for seven days.
Children under 16, whose status will appear as green on Al Hosn app without the requirement of a test, will also be allowed entry.
Unvaccinated people and those with grey status on Al Hosn app, which reflects an expired PCR test, are prohibited from entering these public places.
Anyone with a new residency permit will have a grace period of 60 days to be vaccinated.
September 20 deadline for booster shot
To maintain vaccinated status on the app, a third booster dose must be taken six months after the second dose has been administered.
The ruling applies only to those who received two doses of the Sinopharm vaccine.
Residents who have taken the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, or any of the other approved vaccines, do not require a third dose at this stage.
A grace period of 30 days is given to all those who had their second dose more than six months ago, before their status will turn grey on September 20.
After the third dose, a PCR test must be taken at least every 30 days to maintain green status on Al Hosn.
Booster shots can be taken without prior appointment at any Seha vaccination centre.
Participants in vaccine trials are exempt from needing a booster dose.
How can tourists prove vaccination status?
Abu Dhabi authorities have announced how visitors to the capital who were vaccinated against Covid-19 abroad can gain entry to public places.
The Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee has set out a step-by-step guide to ensure a person's inoculation status is added to Al Hosn.
International travellers can make sure they can gain entry to the list of venues by carrying out the following steps:
1. Before departure, visitors need to register in the “register arrivals” section of the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship app.
2. Complete the register arrivals form and upload an international vaccination certificate. Visitors will receive a text message that includes a link to download Al Hosn app.
3. On arrival in Abu Dhabi, visitors will receive a unified identification number (UID) either at the airport or through the ICA app or website.
4. Visitors will need to download and register on Al Hosn app, using the UID and phone number used for ICA registration or when taking a PCR test in the UAE.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
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Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
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BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
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Group D
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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.
