Coronavirus: UAE's daily Covid-19 cases rise above 400 again

Workers clean tables at the food court in Yas Mall. Victor Besa / The National

Safety precautions at The Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa. Victor Besa / The National

Florists at Florette in Dubai prepare bouquets for delivery with Covid-19 prevention measures in place. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Florists at Florette in Dubai prepare bouquets for delivery with Covid-19 prevention measures in place. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Jasson Ramelo takes care of his stall at Jumeirah Fish Market. He says business has been slow since the outbreak.” Antonie Robertson / The National

Jasson Ramelo tends to his stall at Jumeirah Fish Market. Antonie Robertson / The National

The UAE identified 424 cases of Covid-19 on Saturday, bringing the total infections to 66,617.

A further 112 patients overcame the virus, raising the recovery tally to 58,408.

And two people died, adding to a death toll of 372.

Saturday's cases were identified from 70,079 Covid-19 tests and represented an increase from the day before, which saw 391 new infections.

Friday was the first time in five days the daily number of cases in the UAE decreased. On Sunday, there were just 210 new cases but daily cases of Covid-19 more than doubled by Thursday.

The number of active cases across the country currently stands at 7,837.

Cases had been steadily rising in the UAE this week, prompting officials to warn against further measures to limit the spread of the virus.

On Thursday, the spokesman for the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority said the UAE could bring back stay-at-home orders in some areas if case numbers continue to increase.

Dr Saif Al Dhaheri told Emarat TV that the current increase in daily infections was an indication of “complacency among the public” and urged the public to follow safety measures.

He said there would be a renewed effort to clamp down on those who breach safety measures designed to protect themselves and others. Currently, fines for non-compliance range between Dh3,000 for not wearing a face mask or physical distancing, to Dh50,000 for not adhering to mandated home quarantine.

Asked directly if the number of daily infections rising could prompt the return of the nightly national disinfection programme, Dr Al Dhaheri said: "Yes. If we found that the number of cases is increasing in a specific area, we could."

The disinfection drive, which began in March, saw the spray of sanitising mist over the country's public areas each night. The programme required everyone to stay at home between 8pm and 6am - during Ramadan this changed to 10pm and 6am - so the work could be carried out.

Residents and Emiratis could only leave home during that time in case of absolute necessity and all shops, except supermarkets and pharmacies, were closed. The stay-home order was lifted in late June.

"Today we say these figures are a result of complacency among the public, rather than a phenomenon that is widespread across the country," said Dr Al Dhaheri.