Coronavirus: UAE urges public to follow safety guidelines as 387 new cases reported

Officials said they would not hesitate to impose fines on those who broke the rules

Dr Rohit Kumar, medical director at Medeor Hospital, on the ground in Al Ras and Naif testing residents for Covid-19. Courtesy: Medeor Hospital, Dubai

UAE authorities urged the public to continue to follow Covid-19 safety guidelines after the end of the National Disinfection Programme.

Salem Al Zaabi, acting director of Federal Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Prosecution, said the list of offences and fines remain in force.

"Following the completion of the National Disinfection Programme, unfortunately we noticed a significant increase in the number of offences in our community, which is a sign of some being reckless," Mr Al Zaabi said.

“We urge the public to comply with the instructions issued by the health and security authorities and to follow social distancing guidelines. Offenders will be subject to legal action as per UAE law.”

He reminded the public to continue to avoid social gatherings and family visits.

All are supposed to wear face masks in public places, when leaving home or when using public transport.

Those found flouting rules will be fined and the penalties will be doubled for a repeat offence.

Third time offenders will be subject to legal action and could be jailed for up to six months or fined no less than Dh100,000.

The UAE recorded 387 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, bringing the total to 47,360.

Officials announced a further 365 people had recovered from the virus as the number of recoveries reached 35,834.

One more patient died after contracting the virus, taking deaths to 311.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention said an additional 52,527 tests had been carried out as part of the mass screening strategy.