Health authorities in the UAE are urging people to continue wearing face masks and follow other preventive measures to stay safe and reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19.
Dr Taher Al Ameri, the spokesman of the National Crisis and Emergency Management Authority, said at Wednesday's Covid-19 media briefing that the public should adopt a culture of self-protection to preserve the gains made in fighting the pandemic.
"We are keen to limit the spread of the virus and, thankfully, we have seen a decrease in the number of new infections and no deaths have been recorded since March 7," he said.
"We are proud that we have returned to a new normal life and people should continue to follow all safety measures."
Per current Covid rules in the country, people no longer have to wear face masks outside. The rule applies throughout the UAE. But face masks must still be worn in all public indoor areas, such as shopping malls. No new changes were announced.
Dr Al Ameri reminded people to check procedures and restrictions in other countries when travelling during the summer holidays.
"We ask citizens and residents wishing to travel to check the rules and procedures of the countries they wish to visit for their own safety and to avoid fines," he said.
"People should follow all preventive measures adopted in foreign countries, especially as cases continue to rise in many parts of the world."
The UAE has recorded a significant fall in new case numbers in recent months.
After topping 3,000 in January after the emergence of the Omicron variant, daily case numbers have hovered around the 200-mark in the first 10 days of May. It rose slightly on Wednesday to top 300.
More than 157 million tests have been conducted to date under a robust mass-screening programme, which has been central to the country's recovery strategy, while 97.82 per cent of the population is fully vaccinated.
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
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COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
Princeton
Profile of Udrive
Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate