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New Covid-19 safety rules for Abu Dhabi that will limit entry to a number of public places to vaccinated people will come into effect on Friday.
Under the measures, which apply to citizens, residents and tourists, proof of vaccination will be required to visit a wide variety of venues, including malls, restaurants and cafes.
The capital's Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee said the protocols were being introduced to contain the spread of the virus as well as new strains, such as the highly contagious Delta variant.
So what public places are now vaccinated-only and how do you demonstrate you have received both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine?
The National examines the new regulations in the emirate.
Which public places must you be vaccinated to enter?
From Friday, anyone wishing to enter the following venues must be inoculated against Covid-19.
> Shopping centres, restaurants, cafes, and all other retail outlets, including those not within a shopping centre. Supermarkets and pharmacies, however, are exempt from this ruling
> Gyms, recreational and sporting facilities and health clubs
> Resorts, museums, cultural centres and theme parks
> Universities, institutes, public and private schools and children’s nurseries
What are the entry rules?
Al Hosn, the UAE's testing and vaccination app, will act as a health pass to secure entry to the public places listed above.
Anyone who has a vaccinated confirmation on the app – which is displayed after two doses – and has green status will be permitted to access those facilities.
Green status is achieved through a negative PCR test and remains valid for 30 days.
Entry is also allowed for those exempted from vaccination with green status on Al Hosn, which appears after a negative PCR test result and remains for seven days.
Children under 16, whose status will appear as green on Al Hosn app without the requirement of a test, will also be allowed entry.
Unvaccinated people and those with grey status on Al Hosn app, which reflects an expired PCR test, are prohibited from entering these public places.
Anyone with a new residency permit will have a grace period of 60 days to be vaccinated.
September 20 deadline for booster shot
To maintain vaccinated status on the app, a third booster dose must be taken six months after the second dose has been administered.
The ruling applies only to those who received two doses of the Sinopharm vaccine.
Residents who have taken the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, or any of the other approved vaccines, do not require a third dose at this stage.
A grace period of 30 days is given to all those who had their second dose more than six months ago, before their status will turn grey on September 20.
After the third dose, a PCR test must be taken at least every 30 days to maintain green status on Al Hosn.
Booster shots can be taken without prior appointment at any Seha vaccination centre.
Participants in vaccine trials are exempt from needing a booster dose.
How can tourists prove vaccination status?
Abu Dhabi authorities have announced how visitors to the capital who were vaccinated against Covid-19 abroad can gain entry to public places.
The Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee has set out a step-by-step guide to ensure a person's inoculation status is added to Al Hosn.
International travellers can make sure they can gain entry to the list of venues by carrying out the following steps:
1. Before departure, visitors need to register in the “register arrivals” section of the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship app.
2. Complete the register arrivals form and upload an international vaccination certificate. Visitors will receive a text message that includes a link to download Al Hosn app.
3. On arrival in Abu Dhabi, visitors will receive a unified identification number (UID) either at the airport or through the ICA app or website.
4. Visitors will need to download and register on Al Hosn app, using the UID and phone number used for ICA registration or when taking a PCR test in the UAE.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
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match info
Union Berlin 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Lewandowski 40' pen, Pavard 80')
Man of the Match: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)
SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 362hp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Pari
Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment
Director: Prosit Roy
Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani
Three stars
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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