The UAE announced 210 new cases of coronavirus on Thursday, bringing the country's total to 1,024.
The new patients, who are in stable condition, were identified during contact tracing and had not followed preventive measures, the Ministry of Health and Prevention said.
The ministry also announced that 35 people had recovered from Covid-19, bringing the total to 96. The announcement came as the world recorded more than one million cases since the outbreak began.
Eight people have died of coronavirus since the UAE identified its first cases in late January. All had underlying chronic health conditions.
“The new cases were detected upon examining people who came in contact with previously infected patients and did not adhere to preventative measures or maintain sufficient physical distance," the state news agency Wam reported.
"A number of these cases resulted from international travel”.
The newly diagnosed patients are of several nationalities. All are receiving the necessary medical care.
On Thursday, the country extended its suspension of entry for UAE residency visa holders for another two weeks.
Residents were banned from re-entering the Emirates two weeks ago in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus.
The suspension came days before the UAE grounded all commercial flights in and out of the country.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation said UAE residents abroad who must urgently return to the Emirates should register on its Tawajudi platform.
UAE SQUAD
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Mohamed Usman (vice captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Tahir Mughal, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Abdul Shakoor, Sultan Ahmed, CP Rizwan
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Ways to control drones
Countries have been coming up with ways to restrict and monitor the use of non-commercial drones to keep them from trespassing on controlled areas such as airports.
"Drones vary in size and some can be as big as a small city car - so imagine the impact of one hitting an airplane. It's a huge risk, especially when commercial airliners are not designed to make or take sudden evasive manoeuvres like drones can" says Saj Ahmed, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research.
New measures have now been taken to monitor drone activity, Geo-fencing technology is one.
It's a method designed to prevent drones from drifting into banned areas. The technology uses GPS location signals to stop its machines flying close to airports and other restricted zones.
The European commission has recently announced a blueprint to make drone use in low-level airspace safe, secure and environmentally friendly. This process is called “U-Space” – it covers altitudes of up to 150 metres. It is also noteworthy that that UK Civil Aviation Authority recommends drones to be flown at no higher than 400ft. “U-Space” technology will be governed by a system similar to air traffic control management, which will be automated using tools like geo-fencing.
The UAE has drawn serious measures to ensure users register their devices under strict new laws. Authorities have urged that users must obtain approval in advance before flying the drones, non registered drone use in Dubai will result in a fine of up to twenty thousand dirhams under a new resolution approved by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Mr Ahmad suggest that "Hefty fines running into hundreds of thousands of dollars need to compensate for the cost of airport disruption and flight diversions to lengthy jail spells, confiscation of travel rights and use of drones for a lengthy period" must be enforced in order to reduce airport intrusion.
