More than 30,000 breaches of Covid-19 safety rules were reported in the UAE this year, prompting a renewed call for the public to act responsibly.
Dr Saif Al Dhaheri, spokesman for the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority, urged people to abide by Covid-19 rules and help lead the recovery from the pandemic.
He said most offences involved people failing to wear face masks or adhere to social distancing practices and taking part in gatherings.
Police in Dubai stepped up efforts to combat rule-breaking parties at homes and in public.
The force broke up parties at a desert camp, on a yacht and at a private residence in recent days.
"We affirm the importance of abiding by all precautionary measures to guarantee the welfare of the community," said Dr Al Dhaheri on Wednesday.
"The recovery starts with steps taken by you [the public]."
Dr Al Dhaheri praised the public for their strong response to the nationwide vaccination campaign.
The UAE aims to immunise half of its population by the end of the March.
"The availability of vaccines is one of the biggest challenges of the pandemic," he said. "Vaccines are free for everyone. We all have to be responsible and accept the vaccine."
He said officials had accelerated testing rates in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus.
"These are all big achievements for the UAE. it has proven a role model in preventive measures to deal with such a crisis."
'Our duty to care for the vulnerable'
Dr Farida Al Hosani, spokeswoman for the health sector, emphasised the need to be vigilant in the face of a surge in infection rates in 2021.
She issued a plea to the public to act with caution to safeguard more vulnerable members of the community.
"Community members must be more careful, wear masks, avoid crowded places, and adhere to the guidelines for holding social events and family gatherings," she said during the briefing.
"With the increase in the number of infections and deaths in the past weeks, especially among the elderly and those with chronic diseases, it is our duty to protect them and avoid transmitting the infection to them, and it is a legal and humanitarian duty, because the infection is transmitted to them from younger people who neglect preventive measures."
The UAE reported a record 17 deaths among Covid-19 patients on Monday, surpassing the previous high of 14 set last Friday.
This year the number of new daily infections has generally exceeded 3,000.
