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A provider of free Covid-19 tests said patient numbers doubled the day after Abu Dhabi's new green status system was brought in.
Tamouh Healthcare, which has a network of tents offering PCR tests, screened about 45,000 people at five centres on Wednesday – twice the number it recorded the day before.
Abu Dhabi residents and visitors aged over 16 now require a green status on their Al Hosn app to visit malls, hotels, beaches and parks.
These tests are for everyone's safety and the more we test then the safer it is for them, their loved ones and the community
In order to achieve that status, vaccinated people must now be tested every 30 days.
Those who have not been vaccinated must go for tests every three days, unless they have an exemption, in which case they must be tested every seven days.
The screening tents in Mussaffah and Al Bahia are run by Tamouh Healthcare Company.
The company urged everyone to get the vaccine - and to get tested regularly. The typical cost of a PCR test in Abu Dhabi is already capped by the government at Dh65 ($17) – one of the lowest worldwide.
Its services ensure people of all means, especially those on lower incomes, can get screened without delay.
The largest in the M-12 neighbourhood has been open for one month, and previously received 18,000 visitors a day.
This has now increased to 20,000, and organisers expect to exceed this figure over the coming week.
Two additional tents have been opened offering shade to the thousands waiting to be registered.
The waiting time is no more than ten minutes, and health workers take less than sixty seconds to test each person.
Speaking to The National, operations manager Obeid Al Khyeli said: "By offering free PCR tests I can guarantee as many people as possible get tested. We try to cover the largest segment possible and those with limited income."
"It is easy for someone to say that they won't get tested because they don't need to go to a mall or a hotel, and they don't want to waste their money," said Mr Al Khyeli.
"But by offering them a free PCR test, we leave them no excuse. These tests are for everyone's safety and the more we test then the safer it is for them, their loved ones and the community."
Restaurant manager, Ahmed Ibrahim queued up for his test at the Mussafah tent.
"I came from Abu Dhabi with my wife to get tested here because I heard how quick the process is. I was done in a few minutes," he said.
"It is an added benefit that it is for free, but I also like how I was treated, and how efficient and fast the process is."
Mr Ibrahim and his wife Rose were vaccinated last year.
Assistant school teacher Kusum Chanbrasiri from Sri Lanka lives near to the screening tent.
"I came after I heard from friends that the test was for free. I can't take the vaccine because I am planning to get pregnant," the 36 year old said.
"I am happy that the PCR test here is free and quick."
Opening times for the screening tents are from 10am to 10pm.
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (Turf) 1,400m. Winner: Al Ajeeb W’Rsan, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Jaci Wickham (trainer).
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 80,000 (T) 1,400m racing. Winner: Mujeeb, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 90,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Onward, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown Prep Rated Conditions (PA) Dh 125,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Somoud, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle.
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (T) 1,600m. Winner: AF Arrab, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 90,000 (T) 1,400m. Winner: Irish Freedom, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
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
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Read more about the coronavirus
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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