Coronavirus: UAE announces 450 new cases and 702 recoveries

Authorities lift ban on children under 12 visiting shopping malls

A woman, wearing a protective face mask, sanitises a machine before a training session at a gym in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh. AFP

Iraqi policemen stand at a checkpoint during curfew in Karbala, south of Baghdad, Iraq. EPA

A customer, wearing a protective mask, gets his temperature checked before entering a supermarket in the Iraqi capital Baghdad. AFP

A worker wearing a protective face mask disinfects the training equipment at a gym in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Reuters

A customer, wearing a protective mask, gets his temperature checked after passing through an automatic disinfection booth at the entrance of a supermarket in the Iraqi capital Baghdad. AFP

Jordanian chef Omar Sartawi and designers Princess Nejla Asem and Salam Dajani work to design sustainable face masks using eggplant skin at Dajani's workshop in Amman, Jordan. Reuters

Jordanian designers Princess Nejla Asem and Salam Dajani work to design sustainable face masks using eggplant skin at Dajani's workshop in Amman, Jordan. Reuters

Tunisian Minister of Culture Chiraz Latiri speaks during a press conference in Tunis, Tunisia. Latiri said that the cultural sector was the most affected in the country by the Covid-19 crisis, as several hundred cultural activities were postponed until next year, and cultural venues and centres, as well as libraries, had to be closed due to the pandemic. EPA

A ship coming from Morocco is seen as it enters the port in Algeciras, southern Spain. EPA

UAE authorities announced 450 cases of the coronavirus on Wednesday, taking its number of infections to 46,133.

Officials said another 702 people had recovered from the virus, while two patients had died.

To date, 34,405 residents in the Emirates have recovered from Covid-19, or about 74 per cent.

There are 11,421 cases still active and more than three million people across the UAE have been tested.

Globally, more than 9.4 million cases of the coronavirus have been recorded, and it has contributed towards at least 482,000 deaths.

Police and medics in Abu Dhabi revealed they had joined forces to provide free Covid-19 tests direct to residents’ homes to drive infections down.

In the past three weeks, officers and healthcare workers have gone from door to door in parts of the capital as the screening programme came into effect.

The aim of the campaign is to ensure all sections of society have access to testing.

The team has visited residential buildings in Khalidiya, Al Najda, Al Zafaranah and parts of the Corniche.

“We cover up to 26 buildings everyday between 6pm and midnight,” said Capt Dr Aisha Al Maamari, from the Abu Dhabi Police medical services department.

“The idea was to avoid taking families to tents in order to not compromise their safety and privacy.

“It is much safer to test them at their own homes, especially for people with chronic diseases, pregnant women, children and special needs.”

Late on Wednesday, UAE officials also announced the completion of the national disinfectant programme, which involved the widespread cleaning of public transport and public and private buildings.

Authorities are also allowing children under 12 to visit malls across the Emirates.