• A man wearing a facemask in Dubai in April 2020, shortly after the first outbreak. Pawan Singh / The National
    A man wearing a facemask in Dubai in April 2020, shortly after the first outbreak. Pawan Singh / The National
  • Staff from the Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team conduct searches on the closed Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China, at the start of the outbreak on January 11, 2020. AFP
    Staff from the Wuhan Hygiene Emergency Response Team conduct searches on the closed Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, China, at the start of the outbreak on January 11, 2020. AFP
  • A security guard sits outside the closed Huanan market in Wuhan, Hubei province. Getty Images
    A security guard sits outside the closed Huanan market in Wuhan, Hubei province. Getty Images
  • A notice displayed near a quarantine control station at Narita Airport, Japan, in January 2020. EPA
    A notice displayed near a quarantine control station at Narita Airport, Japan, in January 2020. EPA
  • An empty Times Square after a coronavirus lockdown was ordered in New York City, March 18, 2020. Reuters
    An empty Times Square after a coronavirus lockdown was ordered in New York City, March 18, 2020. Reuters
  • A nurse wearing PPE comforts another as they change shifts on March 13, 2020 at Cremona Hospital, north-eastern Italy. AFP
    A nurse wearing PPE comforts another as they change shifts on March 13, 2020 at Cremona Hospital, north-eastern Italy. AFP
  • Sanitation workers from Tadweer on the first day of the UAE cleaning campaign in March 2020. Victor Besa / The National
    Sanitation workers from Tadweer on the first day of the UAE cleaning campaign in March 2020. Victor Besa / The National
  • The pedestrian crossing on Hamdan and Fatima Bint Mubarak Street is sprayed on March 27, 2020. Victor Besa / The National
    The pedestrian crossing on Hamdan and Fatima Bint Mubarak Street is sprayed on March 27, 2020. Victor Besa / The National
  • A commuter enters the sterilisation area at the entrance of the Abu Dhabi Central Bus Terminal in March 2020. Victor Besa / The National
    A commuter enters the sterilisation area at the entrance of the Abu Dhabi Central Bus Terminal in March 2020. Victor Besa / The National
  • Travellers returning to Kuwait from Egypt, Syria and Lebanon arrive to be re-tested at a containment and screening zone in Kuwait City on March 16, 2020. AFP
    Travellers returning to Kuwait from Egypt, Syria and Lebanon arrive to be re-tested at a containment and screening zone in Kuwait City on March 16, 2020. AFP
  • Al Wadha Mall in Abu Dhabi reopens in May 2020 with measures in place to protect shoppers. Victor Besa / The National
    Al Wadha Mall in Abu Dhabi reopens in May 2020 with measures in place to protect shoppers. Victor Besa / The National
  • Safety reminders at Dubai International Airport after the resumption of scheduled operations by Emirates on May 22, 2020. AFP
    Safety reminders at Dubai International Airport after the resumption of scheduled operations by Emirates on May 22, 2020. AFP
  • A delivery driver wearing a face mask in downtown Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National
    A delivery driver wearing a face mask in downtown Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National
  • Passengers of an Emirates flight prepare to board a plan to Sydney at Dubai International Airport. AFP
    Passengers of an Emirates flight prepare to board a plan to Sydney at Dubai International Airport. AFP
  • Systems put in place at a supermarket in Dubai to slow the spread of the coronavirus. AFP
    Systems put in place at a supermarket in Dubai to slow the spread of the coronavirus. AFP

Three years on, what is the legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic?


Daniel Bardsley
  • English
  • Arabic

January 9 will mark three years since the first death in China from Covid-19 — and since then millions more have died.

The coronavirus spread quickly across the globe after emerging in Wuhan and within a few months was causing tens of thousands of deaths each week.

The official toll stands at more than 6.6 million and the virus continues to kill thousands of people each week.

But current circumstances are much improved.

There are things we can take from the pandemic that will help us understand infectious diseases and reduce the risk of severe diseases in the future
Prof Paul Hunter,
University of East Anglia

Most societies that imposed lockdowns have opened up and, from around the second quarter of last year onwards, the global death rate has been stable and much lower than during most of the previous two years, even if Covid hospital admissions continue to put healthcare systems under strain.

China is a notable exception, with the country’s recent opening up after three years of tight restrictions causing cases, and possibly deaths, to surge.

Outside China, many populations are now less at risk than at the start of the pandemic.

Increased immunity

About 69.1 per cent of the world's population has received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, according to OurWorldinData, and 13.18 billion doses have been administered in total.

On top of that, the 657 million cases of Covid-19 to date — according to official figures, which are likely to heavily underestimate the real number — mean that much of the world’s population has immunity from prior infection.

  • New research shows that a patient's Covid-19 symptoms can depend on what vaccinations they have received. Getty
    New research shows that a patient's Covid-19 symptoms can depend on what vaccinations they have received. Getty
  • Fully vaccinated people most commonly reported a sore throat, persistent cough, runny or blocked nose and headaches. Getty
    Fully vaccinated people most commonly reported a sore throat, persistent cough, runny or blocked nose and headaches. Getty
  • The study also indicated a decline in reports of shortness of breath and loss of taste and smell. Those were two key symptoms in the early stage of the pandemic. Photo: Getty
    The study also indicated a decline in reports of shortness of breath and loss of taste and smell. Those were two key symptoms in the early stage of the pandemic. Photo: Getty
  • In the early stage of the pandemic, breathing difficulty was a common Covid symptom. Photo: UCL
    In the early stage of the pandemic, breathing difficulty was a common Covid symptom. Photo: UCL

In Europe, for example, people "still have some background immunity" that provides protection, according to Prof Eskild Petersen, of Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark and chairman of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

"If you envisage an entirely different virus with higher pathogenicity, it would have to be very different not to be covered by the immunity now," he said.

"If you have high vaccine coverage — three or four doses — you are very, very well protected and you will have a certain number of people with further immunity from natural infection. That’s the difference from spring 2020, when nobody had any immunity."

Coupled with that, Covid-19 is widely seen to have become less virulent thanks to the easily transmitted but milder Omicron strain and related variants, which are responsible for most infections now.

"Gradually, since the appearance of Omicron, the severity has got a lot less than even a year ago," said Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia in the UK.

"We’re not seeing nearly as many admissions to hospitals or people in intensive care beds. Now it’s less severe than flu. If you catch Covid, you’re less likely to die than with flu."

Better prepared

With the world emerging from what is often seen as the worst pandemic for a century, many researchers hope there will be better preparations for the next emergence of a new disease.

The last major pandemic of a scale comparable to Covid-19 involved Spanish flu and began in 1918, but it is unlikely, said John Oxford, emeritus professor of virology at the University of London, that it will be another century before the world faces something similar.

  • People stand outside a funeral home in Shanghai, as cases of Covid-19 surge in China. Reuters
    People stand outside a funeral home in Shanghai, as cases of Covid-19 surge in China. Reuters
  • Relatives burn paper offerings for a relative who died, at the Gaobeidian Funeral Home in northern China's Hebei province. AP
    Relatives burn paper offerings for a relative who died, at the Gaobeidian Funeral Home in northern China's Hebei province. AP
  • A worker disinfects a bed in the emergency department of a hospital in Baigou, Hebei province. AP
    A worker disinfects a bed in the emergency department of a hospital in Baigou, Hebei province. AP
  • Cities across the country have struggled to cope as the surge in cases has emptied pharmacy shelves, filled hospital wards and appeared to cause backlogs at crematoriums and funeral homes. AP
    Cities across the country have struggled to cope as the surge in cases has emptied pharmacy shelves, filled hospital wards and appeared to cause backlogs at crematoriums and funeral homes. AP
  • It comes after China dismantled key pillars of its zero-Covid strategy. AP
    It comes after China dismantled key pillars of its zero-Covid strategy. AP
  • Authorities have lifted snap lockdowns, lengthy quarantines and travel curbs in a reversal of the country's hallmark containment strategy. Reuters
    Authorities have lifted snap lockdowns, lengthy quarantines and travel curbs in a reversal of the country's hallmark containment strategy. Reuters
  • Relatives attend to a patient. AP
    Relatives attend to a patient. AP
  • People wait outside a fever clinic at a hospital in Shanghai. Reuters
    People wait outside a fever clinic at a hospital in Shanghai. Reuters

"It doesn’t have to be China, France or the US — it can happen anywhere," he said. "The key thing is to know it will happen again and to stockpile PPE [personal protective equipment].

"You have to have a plan and have someone guarding the plan. The plan must be updated and have a proper guardian to keep the finance coming in for it. It’s essential. It needs more than science to keep it marching along.

"All countries were begged by the World Health Organisation to get a plan. Some had three pages, some 150 pages."

The world is now, however, "biologically more sophisticated", with improved vaccination and monitoring capability, so is better able to react to pandemics, suggested David Taylor, emeritus professor of pharmaceutical and public health policy at University College London.

"We need to invest, but we don’t want to invest in old-style public health," he said. "We need intelligent biological surveillance … based on better understanding.

"We need leaner, sensible investment in high-level planning for pandemic possibilities, but remembering there are so many other things that could go wrong.

"We have global warming — unless we get energy and climate change sorted, that will almost certainly kill us in the next century … we have a real problem to sort."

Scientific advances

While the pandemic has left a legacy of suffering, death, societal upheaval and economic damage, it has helped accelerate scientific advancement.

There had been decades of work to develop messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, but it was not until Covid-19 that these were actually introduced to protect people from disease.

Writing in the journal Viruses last year, researchers said the pandemic had "opened the floodgates to mRNA vaccines’ potential in infectious disease prevention", with many animal as well as human diseases the focus of emerging vaccines.

Therapeutic mRNA vaccines for diseases such as cancer are also becoming a reality, with more clinical trials beginning.

The pandemic also led to the successful use of vaccines, such as the Oxford-AstraZeneca dose, that use a weakened chimpanzee adenovirus as a vector. This causes the cells of recipients to produce coronavirus spike proteins, leading to a protective immune response.

The pandemic has improved scientists’ wider understanding of viral illnesses, according to Prof Hunter, who said it has helped his own work on noroviruses which cause gastroenteritis.

"There are actually a lot of positive things that have come out of this pandemic in science," he said. "The downside is a lot of people have had to die for it. I would rather we had not had the pandemic and remained ignorant."

"But there are things we can take from the pandemic that will help us understand infectious diseases and help us reduce the risk of severe diseases in the future. And new vaccinations put together more quickly could have very wide implications.

"Because so much money and research has gone into it, we know things about Covid that we sort of knew about other infections, such as the duration of mucosal immunity [immunity in the moist inner lining of, for example, the nose and lungs] following infection and vaccination."

As to how the pandemic will continue to play out, Prof Hunter said he expected the coronavirus would continue to become less severe in its effects until it became another cause of the common cold. Other coronaviruses already cause about 10 to 15 per cent of colds.

That does not mean, however, that it will not carry on killing people, because, Prof Hunter noted, even the common cold can trigger chest infections, albeit less often than influenza does.

"I think over the next few years hospitalisations will become a lot less common and deaths a lot less common as well," he said.

The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 582bhp

Torque: 730Nm

Price: Dh649,000

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Trump v Khan

2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US

2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks

2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit

2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”

2022:  Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency

July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”

Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.

Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S24%20ULTRA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.8%22%20quad-HD%2B%20dynamic%20Amoled%202X%2C%203120%20x%201440%2C%20505ppi%2C%20HDR10%2B%2C%20120Hz%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204nm%20Qualcomm%20Snapdragon%208%20Gen%203%2C%2064-bit%20octa-core%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2012GB%20RAM%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStorage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20256%2F512GB%20%2F%201TB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPlatform%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Android%2014%2C%20One%20UI%206.1%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20quad%20200MP%20wide%20f%2F1.7%20%2B%2050MP%20periscope%20telephoto%20f%2F3.4%20with%205x%20optical%2F10x%20optical%20quality%20zoom%20%2B%2010MP%20telephoto%202.4%20with%203x%20optical%20zoom%20%2B%2012MP%20ultra-wide%20f%2F2.2%3B%20100x%20Space%20Zoom%3B%20auto%20HDR%2C%20expert%20RAW%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVideo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208K%4024%2F30fps%2C%204K%4030%2F60%2F120fps%2C%20full-HD%4030%2F60%2F240fps%2C%20full-HD%20super%20slo-mo%40960fps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFront%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2012MP%20f%2F2.2%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205000mAh%2C%20fast%20wireless%20charging%202.0%2C%20Wireless%20PowerShare%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205G%2C%20Wi-Fi%2C%20Bluetooth%205.3%2C%20NFC%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20USB-C%3B%20built-in%20Galaxy%20S%20Pen%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDurability%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20IP68%2C%20up%20to%201.5m%20of%20freshwater%20up%20to%2030%20minutes%3B%20dust-resistant%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESIM%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nano%20%2B%20nano%20%2F%20nano%20%2B%20eSIM%20%2F%20dual%20eSIM%20(varies%20in%20different%20markets)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Titanium%20black%2C%20titanium%20grey%2C%20titanium%20violet%2C%20titanium%20yellow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGalaxy%20S24%20Ultra%2C%20USB-C-to-C%20cable%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dh5%2C099%20for%20256GB%2C%20Dh5%2C599%20for%20512GB%2C%20Dh6%2C599%20for%201TB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Normcore explained

Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.

The Rub of Time: Bellow, Nabokov, Hitchens, Travolta, Trump and Other Pieces 1986-2016
Martin Amis,
Jonathan Cape

UAE v United States, T20 International Series

Both matches at ICC Academy, Dubai. Admission is free.

1st match: Friday, 2pm

2nd match: Saturday, 2pm

UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Rameez Shahzad, Amjad Gul, CP Rizwan, Mohammed Boota, Abdul Shakoor, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat

USA squad: Saurabh Netravalkar (captain), Jaskaran Malhotra, Elmore Hutchinson, Aaron Jones, Nosthush Kenjige, Ali Khan, Jannisar Khan, Xavier Marshall, Monank Patel, Timil Patel, Roy Silva, Jessy Singh, Steven Taylor, Hayden Walsh

Getting%20there%20and%20where%20to%20stay
%3Cp%3EFly%20with%20Etihad%20Airways%20from%20Abu%20Dhabi%20to%20New%20York%E2%80%99s%20JFK.%20There's%2011%20flights%20a%20week%20and%20economy%20fares%20start%20at%20around%20Dh5%2C000.%3Cbr%3EStay%20at%20The%20Mark%20Hotel%20on%20the%20city%E2%80%99s%20Upper%20East%20Side.%20Overnight%20stays%20start%20from%20%241395%20per%20night.%3Cbr%3EVisit%20NYC%20Go%2C%20the%20official%20destination%20resource%20for%20New%20York%20City%20for%20all%20the%20latest%20events%2C%20activites%20and%20openings.%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Stamp duty timeline

December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%

April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.

July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.

March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.

April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.

UAE jiu-jitsu squad

Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)

Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)

The%C2%A0specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204-cylinder%202.0L%20TSI%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%20clutch%207-speed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320HP%20%2F%20235kW%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20400Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20%2449%2C709%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Polarised public

31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views

19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views

19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all

Source: YouGov

The Outsider

Stephen King, Penguin

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

THE BIO

Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

Education: UAE University, Al Ain

Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6

Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma

Favourite book: Science and geology

Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC

Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Yabi%20by%20Souqalmal%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMay%202022%2C%20launched%20June%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAmbareen%20Musa%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20u%3C%2Fstrong%3Endisclosed%20but%20soon%20to%20be%20announced%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E12%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eseed%C2%A0%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EShuaa%20Capital%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ICC T20 Rankings

1. India - 270 ranking points

 

2. England - 265 points

 

3. Pakistan - 261 points

 

4. South Africa - 253 points

 

5. Australia - 251 points 

 

6. New Zealand - 250 points

 

7. West Indies - 240 points

 

8. Bangladesh - 233 points

 

9. Sri Lanka - 230 points

 

10. Afghanistan - 226 points

 
Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE

Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill

Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.

Updated: January 09, 2023, 3:00 AM