DUBAI: As the death toll from the coronavirus creeps closer to the 1,000 mark in the UAE, police forces from the different emirates have approved new precautionary measures to combat the disease.
In Abu Dhabi, the country’s capital, the police were forced to break up 11 weddings.
Limiting the number of people in social gatherings is just one of the challenges facing Abu Dhabi, where the local police force announced organizers of such events would be fined AED10,000 ($2,722) while participants would receive a AED5,000 fine.
The financial penalties have not had the effect the police were hoping for.
In Abu Dhabi alone, officers reported 1,688 violations as they referred 47 organizers and 1,641 participants to the emirate’s Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Prosecution Team.
#أخبارنا | #شرطة_أبوظبي تشدد الحملات الضبطية لرصد مخالفي الإجراءات الاحترازية#أخبار_شرطة_أبوظبيhttps://t.co/MKY2vJk3MO pic.twitter.com/DJhiWWaAIm
— شرطة أبوظبي (@ADPoliceHQ) February 11, 2021
Dubai Police said anyone who wants to enter a police station or other official buildings within the emirate are now required to present a negative PCR test before entering. Those who have received two doses of the coronavirus vaccine are exempt.
The Ajman Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Team approved a new package of preventive measures that include banning concerts, festivals and events, while reducing the capacity at cinemas, gyms, parks and beaches to 50 percent. That emirate’s new measures were implemented Thursday and also include the limiting of people attending weddings to 10 and funerals to 20.
فريق إدارة الطوارئ والازمات والكوارث بعجمان يعتمد حزمة من الإجراءات الوقائية الجديدة للحد من انتشار فيروس كورونا اعتمد...
Posted by AjmanPoliceghq on Thursday, February 11, 2021
Similar measures were introduced in Ras Al-Khaimah, with concerts and events canceled and operating capacities in other public places significantly reduced.
The Sharjah Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Management Team, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and the Sharjah Special Education Authority, said all students in public and private schools, as well as all nurseries, would switch to remote learning until the end of the month.
The Department of Human Resources in Sharjah also instructed all employees within the emirate to work from home starting Sunday, with some exceptions permitted.
The UAE reported 3,525 new cases on Thursday, bringing the national total to 339,667 people infected with COVID-19. The death toll reached 974 after another 18 people died from the virus.
Elsewhere, Kuwait reported 1,048 new cases, raising the country’s total to 175,031. The death toll rose to 985 after five deaths were reported in the past 24 hours.
تعلن #وزارة_الصحة عن تأكيد إصابة 1,048 حالة جديدة، وتسجيل 631 حالة شفاء، و 5 حالات وفاة جديدة بـ #فيروس_كورونا_المستجدّ COVID-19 ، ليصبح إجمالي عدد الحالات 175,031 حالة pic.twitter.com/LhrQswaEwF
— وزارة الصحة - الكويت (@KUWAIT_MOH) February 11, 2021
Oman’s Health Ministry said that its total number of cases reached 136,622 after registering 245 additional cases on Thursday. Two more patients died, raising the death toll to 1,539.
#Statement No. 287
February 11, 2021 pic.twitter.com/ppqFoyEqZO— وزارة الصحة - عُمان (@OmaniMOH) February 11, 2021
In Bahrain the death toll stands at 393 after two new deaths were reported. The number of confirmed cases in the country increased by 812.
Out of 13727 COVID-19 tests carried out on 11 February 2021, 812 new cases have been detected among 324 expatriate workers, 481 new cases are contacts of active cases, and 7 are travel related. There were 526 recoveries from #COVID19, increasing total recoveries to 103251 pic.twitter.com/tGBa8bIAUM
— وزارة الصحة | مملكة البحرين (@MOH_Bahrain) February 11, 2021
