Coronavirus: Abu Dhabi ends nightly stay-home orders

Authorities say rules introduced in July have achieved their objective

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  Abu Dhabi residents are inoculated at the screening and vaccine centre on the Corniche. A nationwide testing and inoculation campaign is credited with driving down cases. All photos: Victor Besa / The National

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  Staff and nurses from the Abu Dhabi public hospital group Seha urged the public to protect themselves from Covid-19 by signing up to be vaccinated.

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  Motorists queue for PCR tests at Seha's testing and vaccination centre on Abu Dhabi's Corniche.

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  Mass testing and a successful vaccination campaign has helped the UAE to tackle the pandemic.

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  Drivers wait at a centre that provides both PCR nasal swab tests and coronavirus vaccine doses.

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  Shenaz Abdul Salam, 13, gives a thumbs up as he waits to receive his first vaccine dose.

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  A staff nurse fills in a vaccination form for a driver at the Corniche centre.

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  Mariam Al Badi, an Emirati nurse working at Seha's drive-through vaccine centre, has urged everyone to get inoculated against Covid-19.

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  Ms Al Badi goes through the vaccination process with a driver.

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  Cars queue at the drive-through testing and vaccination centre on Abu Dhabi's Corniche.

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  More than 80 per cent of the UAE population has been vaccinated and the government is urging those who have not to sign up.

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  An Abu Dhabi resident gives the thumbs up after signing up for vaccination.

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  Authorities have made the vaccines free for everyone.

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  A medical worker checks papers as Abu Dhabi residents sign up for the Covid-19 vaccine.

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  The drive-through Covid-19 testing and inoculation centre has proved popular with Abu Dhabi residents.

Follow the latest updates on the Covid-19 pandemic here

Abu Dhabi will end the nightly stay-home order from August 19, authorities said on Thursday.

The restrictions under the National Sterilisation Programme ran from midnight to 5am and have been in place since July.

The Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee said the programme had achieved its objective.

Authorities thanked the public for its co-operation and advised everyone to continue to adhere to precautionary measures to protect public health and safety.

The resumption of stay-home rules were introduced by the emirate on July 19 to help curb the spread of Covid-19.

Members of the public could only leave their homes during this period to "get essential supplies, such as food and medicine".

People had to apply to Abu Dhabi Police for a permit to leave their homes.

Covid-19 case numbers have declined in the weeks since the rules were introduced, with infections on some days declining to rates not seen since 2020.