Coronavirus: 546 new cases as families spread virus among 30 people

Number of active cases now 12,222 as authorities warn against breaking physical distancing measures

Medical staff inside a Covid-19 screening centre at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Reuters

A healthcare worker tests a man for Covid-19 at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Reuters

A health worker examines a sample taken from a labourer in the Al Quoz district of Dubai. The UAE has significantly increased testing for the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. AFP

A medic takes samples from a worker at a testing centre in Al Quoz. AFP

A man wearing a protective mask has his body temperature reading taken upon arriving at the police station in Naif. AFP

An employee wears a protective face mask and shield while collecting carts outside a Lulu hypermarket in Dubai. Bloomberg

A man, wearing a protective mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, has his temperature taken at the Ibn Battuta centre in Dubai. AFP

Frontline workers, such as medics leading the fight against Covid-19, are being recognised in the UAE. Reuters

The UAE on Wednesday announced 546 new cases of coronavirus, taking the country's total to 15,738 after 25,573 more tests were conducted.

Authorities said 206 patients had recovered, making it 3,359 people given the all-clear since the pandemic started.

Eleven people died, taking the death toll to 157.

Amna Al Dhahak, spokeswoman for the government, said the country’s average daily recovery rate had increased to 155 a day since the start of May, up from 100.

Despite this, Ms Al Dhahak said “we cannot underestimate the consequences of this disease”.

We cannot underestimate the consequences of this disease

She said some people were not adhering to the measures put in place to prevent infections, including physical distancing.

Ms Al Dhahak told of how 30 people from two families broke the rules by gathering and ended up spreading the disease among themselves.

Those infected included a baby aged 2 months and elderly members of the family.

Ms Al Dhahak said that abiding by precautionary measures was a national obligation.

"We must continue without being reckless," she said. "We cannot belittle and breach the rules and measures in place. We must protect children and the elderly."

Ms Al Dhahak said the partial easing of measures did not mean people could start gathering again, and reminded the public of legal action for breaking the rules.

"We should not leave the house but for essentials, no more than five people should gather in one place and physical distancing must be adhered to, along with wearing face masks," she said.

"Our commitment must be based on our sense of responsibility and we should support our healthcare workers by staying at home."

The UAE has now conducted more than 1.3 million coronavirus tests since January.

These were carried out in hospitals, specialist health clinics and the 14 drive-through testing centres that were built across the country.

The number of people who recovered from the virus doubled in the past two weeks, jumping from 1,443 on April 21 to 3,153 on May 5.

This week, another testing centre opened in Abu Dhabi's industrial area of Mussaffah, as part of a goal to test 335,000 residents and workers over the next two weeks.