ABU DHABI 28 April 2020: Following the complete recovery of 112 patients, the total number of patients in the country who recovered from Covid-19 has increased to 2,090, announced Dr. Amna Al Dahhak Al Shamsi, Official Spokesperson for the UAE government.
Dr. Al Shamsi made the announcement during the UAE Government’s regular briefing on the latest developments related to the spread of coronavirus in the country, which was held in Abu Dhabi, along with Brig. Dr. Ali Singel, General Health Advisor for Dubai Police.
Dr. Al Shamsi revealed the plan to continue expanding testing for Covid-19 in the country. The health sector conducted 29,984 new tests, resulting in the detection of 490 new cases across various nationalities. The total number of cases in the country has now reached 10,839. The number of new Covid-19 patients, who are still receiving medical treatment, is 8,667 across different nationalities.
The new cases were identified after the ministry intensified screening and expanded testing among those who were in contact with the previously confirmed patients, said MoHAP in a statement last evening, said Wam.
82 Deaths
The ministry also announced that there were six deaths across various nationalities, taking the number of deaths in the country to 82. She offered her heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and prayed to Allah the Almighty to grant them solace and patience.
Dr. Al Shamsi stressed employees at food processing facilities are required to obtain training certificates approved by food safety departments in the municipalities of the country, the most important of which is the ‘HACCP’ certificate, which guarantees the safety of the food industry and confirms that it is completely free from all kinds of pollutants.
She indicated that such health and safety control systems for food do not apply to meals that are cooked at home and that exchanging meals among families in different homes is not recommended during these times, to ensure the safety and health of everyone and avoid infection through the tools and utensils used.
Dr. Al Shamsi noted that the distribution of meals cooked at home to individuals in the community is not allowed and that it is necessary to communicate with charitable organisations in the country that safely handle the cooking and distribution of food to hundreds of persons during Ramadan.
Worker support
Dr. Al Shamsi affirmed that the UAE is a nation of tolerance, brotherhood and giving, and is home to more than 200 nationalities. Government departments concerned with employment in the UAE launched awareness campaigns that included lectures and workshops in different languages on the prevention of the coronavirus, methods of transmission and how to protect themselves and other health advice.
Awareness leaflets were also distributed to workers and educational films in several languages were shown on how to comply with health procedures and public health rules while emphasising the importance of hygiene and sterilisation.
The precautionary and preventive measures required restrictions on the movement of some workers, and government and charitable organisations unified efforts to ensure the living and health requirements at their places of residence, including distributing hundreds of sterilisers and face masks, as well as food supplies and integrated food bags.
Dr. Al Shamsi also mentioned the “10 Million Meals” campaign which enables individuals and institutions to make financial and in-kind donations towards providing food support in the form of 10 million meals or food parcels during Ramadan to financially distressed people amid the outbreak of the virus.
Inspection Visits
The authorities were also keen to carry out inspection visits to the residential complexes of workers and to ensure their commitment to complying with the precautionary measures, the cleanliness and sterilisation of cooking places and dining halls, and inspection visits to shops and clinics frequented by the workers, as well as the buses used to take them to their work sites.
Dr. Amna highlighted the UAE government’s keenness to protect the health of workers, by offering them testing, treatment and basic health services, and obligating companies and business owners to provide them with health insurance and cover diagnosis and treatment expenses.
The UAE Government will also cover the diagnostic and treatment costs of workers suffering from coronavirus, and the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, announced that it will fully support people infected with the virus and their families, as well as the families of those who died killed of the disease, she added.
She also explained that the UAE is one of the first Arab countries to implement a series of regulatory measures to manage the relationship between employers and workers to safeguard the rights of both parties, in light of the repercussions of the crisis, noting that Emirati law requires employers to pay the required amount of money to terminated employees and buy their return tickets.
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