Coronavirus: Steve Harvey calls the UAE the 'safest place in the world'

The US comedian and businessman praised the Emirates for the swift measures it has taken to contain the spread of Covid-19

US comedian Steve Harvey was at the Sharjah International Book Fair in November 2019. Getty Images 

Steve Harvey has praised the UAE for the swift measures it has taken to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, calling it the “safest country in the world.”

In the latest episode of his radio programme The Steve Harvey Morning Show on Thursday he said that the UAE has among the lowest death and infectious rates worldwide.

“The safest place in the world right now is the UAE. They jumped on this thing right away,” Harvey said of the UAE government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. “It has a lot to do with their leadership. They’re serious. They love their people and will do everything to protect them and keep them safe.”

The US presenter and his guests on The Steve Harvey Morning Show, which is currently broadcast from Los Angeles, noted that the UAE has conducted "more coronavirus tests than anybody."

Harvey then went on to say that the US government should have acted in a similar manner “instead of calling it [Covid-19] a hoax,” and delaying containment measures for weeks.

Harvey is no stranger to the UAE. The Original Kings of Comedy star was among the headliners of the 2019 Sharjah International Book Fair, along with Nobel Prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk and Oscar-winning Indian lyricist Gulzar. The Ball Room at the Expo Centre Sharjah was full long before Harvey arrived for his talk on October 31. The US comedian and host of Family Feud gave some life advice to the young people of Sharjah and discussed his career in the entertainment business.

Harvey has also been spotted at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He was with American political commentator Armstrong Williams in 2019 and alongside veteran comedians Dave Chapelle and Chris Tucker a year earlier.

Harvey's 2012 self help book Straight Talk, No Chaser: How to Find, Keep, and Understand a Man has also been translated into Arabic, and been given the new title of Men's Secrets: How to find Mr Right and Keep Him. (Though we're not sure if you should be referring to Harvey's advice on family and relationships)

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