Abu Dhabi residents and Emiratis are taking on board government calls to stay home unless necessary, indicating strong social responsibility, a local official has said.
A clear sign that safety precautions were being taken on board was that shopping malls in Abu Dhabi are experiencing far less footfall than is permitted by authorities amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Rashed Al Balooshi, undersecretary of Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, said he had received reports of capacity limits not being met.
“Despite allowing shopping malls to open with 40 per cent capacity, they are barely reaching 10 per cent,” he said during a webinar with health officials and business leaders about return to work measures.
He said this was a strong indication that people were heeding the government's call to stay home by not going to public areas.
“It is human nature to want to protect one's self,” he said.
In addition, he said strict safety measures, to protect the public from potentially contracting the virus, made the shopping malls safer but also inaccessible to children under 12 and people over 60.
Mr Al Balooshi said the department has assured concerned businesses that the lack of footfall was to be expected given that Covid-19 remains a global threat.
"Our path towards achieving economic development has become mainly reliant on supporting and developing essential industries, as well as prioritising the role of the citizens in the process," he said.
It is human nature to want to protect one's self
“The Department of Economic Development has already taken its first steps towards change … through the implementation of a series of initiatives and projects that will contribute to enhancing the competitiveness of doing business in Abu Dhabi and empowering private sector companies as major drivers of the emirate’s local economy.”
His comments about a socially responsible community were backed up by Dr Farida Al Hosani, the spokeswoman for the UAE health sector, who often gives updates during the country's regular briefings on the state of Covid-19 in the Emirates.
She said data from the UAE's tracking app, Al Hosn, indicated that more and more people were adhering to safety measures while in public.
As people slowly begin to return to their offices, Dr Al Hosani said some businesses were encouraging their staff to download the app.
"The UAE did not impose the use of Alhosn app on individuals and institutions due to the government's confidence in the high level of awareness within the population of this crucial matter and its trust that there is a joint sense of responsibility shared by the various segments of our community, regardless of their nationalities or backgrounds.”
She said companies have also been successfully raising awareness among their staff about how to safely returning to their workplace and more people have been downloading the app voluntarily.
“With the gradual return to work, there has been a noticeable improvement in the number of people who downloaded Al Hosn app," she said.
“This shows that companies and organisations are committed to educate members of society and their staff on precautionary measures.”
Al Hosn uses Bluetooth signals to detect if the mobile phone carrier has come into contact with someone who tested positive for the virus. For it to be effective, the person who went on to contract the virus should have had the app downloaded too.
Dr Al Hosani said the app has now also been linked with all UAE hospitals and testing centres.
“If a person undergoes the Covid-19 test, the app will show them their test results," she said.
“So the person will be able to find out if they are [Covid-19] positive or not.”
The information, which is secure, is then used to track down anyone else that has come into contact with a Covid-19 patient.
Al Hosn app has been crucial to facilitating the large scale, regular testing of mall employees, said Talal Al Dhiyebi, chief executive of Aldar Properties.
“We were facing a big logistics challenge. In shopping malls alone we have 45,000 employees, and a similar number in stand-alone shops outside the malls, and a similar number for hotel employees. So we are talking about around 150,000 employees whom we started testing regularly every two or three weeks."
Mr Al Dhiyebi said, once authorities allowed employees to return to offices, the challenge was to ensure each of them tested negative for the virus before coming back to the workplace.
He said that by asking employees to download the app, they can check the status of their Covid-19 test easily.
“In Yas Mall alone, there are 5,000 employees who need to enter the mall 45 minutes before it opens.
“Previously, the door was open and they would enter normally, but now you need to check that each one of them took the Covid-19 test and tested negative.”
He said this task would have been impossible if not for Al Hosn app.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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Top New Zealand cop on policing the virtual world
New Zealand police began closer scrutiny of social media and online communities after the attacks on two mosques in March, the country's top officer said.
The killing of 51 people in Christchurch and wounding of more than 40 others shocked the world. Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was accused of the killings. His trial is ongoing and he denies the charges.
Mike Bush, commissioner of New Zealand Police, said officers looked closely at how they monitored social media in the wake of the tragedy to see if lessons could be learned.
“We decided that it was fit for purpose but we need to deepen it in terms of community relationships, extending them not only with the traditional community but the virtual one as well," he told The National.
"We want to get ahead of attacks like we suffered in New Zealand so we have to challenge ourselves to be better."
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Spain drain
CONVICTED
Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.
Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.
Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.
SUSPECTED
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.
Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.
Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.
Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.
Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Series information
Pakistan v Dubai
First Test, Dubai International Stadium
Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11
Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20
Play starts at 10am each day
Teams
Pakistan
1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza
Australia
1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland
