Hospitals in Dubai are safe to visit and anyone with an ailment "should not hesitate" to seek medical advice, authorities said on Thursday.
During a weekly press briefing, Dr Amer Al Sharif, head of the Disease and Epidemic Control Centre, part of Dubai's Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management, said hospitals had clear procedures in place to ensure Covid-19 patients were isolated from other visitors to avoid infections.
"If you need any treatment, you must go to hospital if you have a symptom. Do not fear going to hospitals," he said.
Many hospitals in the emirate have introduced a "virtual doctor" option for those who wish to seek medical advice without physically going to hospital.
Do not fear going to hospitals
Dr Al Sharif said Rashid Hospital was mainly where coronavirus patients were being treated but added that other hospitals, public and private, are admitting patients too.
He said all hospitals, including specialised medical centres, are still receiving patients for any ailments – not only coronavirus.
"Children's hospitals are also open and safe," he said.
While the rest of the country has imposed an 8pm to 6am nightly curfew, during which a disinfection programme is carried out, Dubai extended this to 24-hours as of April 4. The curfew is due to last until Saturday, April 18, but may be extended.
On Thursday, Dr Al Sharif said it was not possible to know how long the curfew will last but that decisions would be made based on the results of the disinfection programme and general adherence to the stay home order.
"The [disinfection] programme is considered a precautionary protective measure to ensure the safety of all members of the community, which is why we extended it to 24-hours."
He said the emirate was taking a two-pronged approach to tackling the virus; curbing its spread through social distancing and increasing the number of tests being carried out.
"We are also working to increase hospital capacity and working with partners to ensure we constantly have enough medical supplies," he said.
Tests are now being conducted at most hospitals and even on site in densely populated areas of Dubai, including Al Ras, Naif, Al Khawaneej and in labour accommodation, where testing clinics have been opened.
"All who tested positive are quarantined and isolated and treated with a clear health plan."
Testing is also conducted at airports, where residents who wish to return to their home countries are being repatriated on special flights. Precautionary measures are also in place for airport employees, who are frequently tested and given personal protection equipment to wear, to ensure their safety.
This week, Emirates announced it was also conducting Covid-19 tests at the airport for outgoing passengers prior to boarding. The results take just 10 minutes to process.
During the briefing, Maj Gen Mohammed Al Marri, of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs, said Dubai looked forward to being able to reopen its borders and "welcome tourists again soon".
No timeline for this was given but he said tourism authorities, airlines and companies were continuously reviewing the current global situation and drawing up plans to revive tourism "to go back to normal life and hosting tourists as we did before the crisis."
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Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
RESULTS
Catchweight 63.5kg: Shakriyor Juraev (UZB) beat Bahez Khoshnaw (IRQ). Round 3 TKO (body kick)
Lightweight: Nart Abida (JOR) beat Moussa Salih (MAR). Round 1 by rear naked choke
Catchweight 79kg: Laid Zerhouni (ALG) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ). Round 1 TKO (punches)
Catchweight 58kg: Omar Al Hussaini (UAE) beat Mohamed Sahabdeen (SLA) Round 1 rear naked choke
Flyweight: Lina Fayyad (JOR) beat Sophia Haddouche (ALG) Round 2 TKO (ground and pound)
Catchweight 80kg: Badreddine Diani (MAR) beat Sofiane Aïssaoui (ALG) Round 2 TKO
Flyweight: Sabriye Sengul (TUR) beat Mona Ftouhi (TUN). Unanimous decision
Middleweight: Kher Khalifa Eshoushan (LIB) beat Essa Basem (JOR). Round 1 rear naked choke
Heavyweight: Mohamed Jumaa (SUD) beat Hassen Rahat (MAR). Round 1 TKO (ground and pound)
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammad Ali Musalim (UAE beat Omar Emad (EGY). Round 1 triangle choke
Catchweight 62kg: Ali Taleb (IRQ) beat Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR). Round 2 KO
Catchweight 88kg: Mohamad Osseili (LEB) beat Samir Zaidi (COM). Unanimous decision
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Palestine and Israel - live updates
