A senior Abu Dhabi police official has recounted how the force tackled the Covid-19 pandemic in a mission that would personally define "six months of his life”.
Col Mohammed Al Khoury, deputy of the Capital Police Department, said handling public safety has been an operation “outside the realms of ordinary police work”.
The first two months, I didn't see my family – I would work and get home late and see my wife for five minutes then I had to go to sleep
In February, the father of five was called in to the crisis management centre for a mission to bring all Emiratis abroad back to the UAE and quarantine them.
The precautions were being taken shortly after two Italian cyclists competing in the UAE Tour tested positive for the new virus that was fast spreading across the world.
“When I arrived at the police headquarters it was 8am,” said Col Al Khoury.
“Gen Maktoum Al Sharifi, director-general of Abu Dhabi Police, had called five people in and I was one of them. We were instructed to create a task force to work on the mission and everything was immediate. I left that night at midnight and from February until August, I worked from 7am to 11pm, seven days a week.
“We had to bring locals safely back to the country from abroad and quarantine them. People were being quarantined in five-star hotels – everybody had their role to play in fighting the virus.”
The scale of the outbreak became clear when cycling staff on the UAE Tour - which saw teams from across the globe compete in a week-long event – tested positive for the virus and were quarantined for two weeks.
The hotels they were staying in on Yas Island went into lockdown to prevent further infections – but more cases emerged.
Col Al Khoury said the team worked with the wider police force, traffic department, Abu Dhabi's health authorities and municipality for a fast-paced response.
They also worked with hotels and other facilities to turn rooms into quarantine quarters. Col Al Khoury received a first-hand experience of living in one for 14 days after testing positive for the virus in May.
“In the middle of all this, I tested positive,” he said.
“It was a good learning experience, though. Being in the centre allowed me to see first-hand how our people were working, how we were managing and how we talked to patients. I was delighted to receive calls from senior government officials and my family members.”
But, the biggest challenge for the him was not being able to see his young children and family for long periods of time at the start of the pandemic.
“The first two months, I didn’t see my family – I would work and get home late and see my wife for five minutes then I had to go to sleep,” he said.
As of December 14, there have been 186,041 total cases in the UAE, with 21,074 people currently battling the virus. The death toll stood at 618 while 164,349 people have recovered. More than 18 million Covid-19 tests have been carried out nationwide.
He said difficult decisions had to be taken to ensure the spread of the virus was contained, including closing down malls and asking people to work from home.
“Most of the people in Abu Dhabi are educated and understand their responsibility in protecting the safety of their lives, their children and their colleagues,” he said.
“So, most of them were on-board with the measures we were taking."
Abu Dhabi amid Covid-19 – in pictures
Specs%20
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Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
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THE SPECS
Jaguar F-Pace SVR
Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8
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THE SPECS
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One-and-a-half out of five stars
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Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
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Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
match details
Wales v Hungary
Cardiff City Stadium, kick-off 11.45pm
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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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
