I have just spent fourteen days sat at home in Abu Dhabi with a tracker device attached to my wrist. Such a previously unlikely scenario has been made not uncommon now by the realities of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Spending 14 days in self-isolation and wearing a tracker is something currently required in Abu Dhabi if you have travelled outside the UAE and return to the capital. Although the procedures can differ if you land in another emirate.
Overall, I found the experience of wearing a tracker during the self-isolation period to be multidimensional. The practical aspects were straightforward; I landed in Abu Dhabi airport on a Friday and after collecting my bags and proceeding to the arrivals area, I waited for about 20 minutes for my turn to sit at one of seven desks manned by health officials in full PPE.
There was an ever-present stress, caused by the certain knowledge that I was being specifically tracked by some unseen authority
One official, at a computer, took my details and examined my passport, while the other attached the tracker – which is basically a watch with a sim card in it – to my left wrist. A small square copper plate covered the place where the two sides of the strap meet, creating a physical barrier to me trying to take it off.
The ladies who processed me were friendly and efficient. They reminded me not to try to take the watch off because the police would be alerted. I don’t know if they meant literally an alarm would go off in the police station but the message was clear – the bracelet could not be removed by me without the risk of penalties.
Although, I wasn’t told (and didn’t want to ask) exactly what those penalties were when they put it on. I had no intention of finding out anyway. I was done in a matter of minutes and was allowed to exit the building.
While at that point I understood what would be required, I didn’t quite know what to expect from the experience as I went straight home in taxi and settled into the rooms where I would be spending the next two weeks.
The tracker itself is relatively lightweight and slim. You can shower with it on. Twice a day I had to attach a charging device to it, that made it bulkier, but this only had to be kept on for about 20 minutes at a time to keep the watch adequately charged.
Receiving a negative Covid-19 result for my airport test the day after landing was a helpful, early milestone but emotionally I was up and down (more than usual) throughout the fortnight.
I found the psychological effect on me interesting. There was an ever-present stress, caused by the certain knowledge that I was being specifically tracked by some unseen authority.
There were times I felt lonely. Generally, I was overtired and my sleeps were fitful. Anger, fear and sadness were intermittent feelings. There were times when I felt calm and relaxed too. After all, I couldn’t do anything but wait. Work helped pass the time of course. The weekends were harder when there was less to do.
Waiting for any symptoms to potentially hit during the first week also added to my stress – my fear was there for two reasons. Firstly, this is a constructed scenario that encourages you to think you may have Covid – why else the need for isolation and a tracker? Secondly, I had flown across continents and had been on four aircraft and been through four different airports.
By the seventh day however, I had turned a corner in my mind and began to feel less worried that any symptoms would begin to present themselves. Still it was a difficult first week.
This is just one part of the massive effort to keep us as safe as possible from the coronavirus
Keeping a physical distance from my wife and kids was very hard. It was confusing and frustrating for my young boys certainly and also meant my wife was overburdened with parenting and household responsibilities. The dog probably wondered what had become of me during her daily walks. I am lucky though. I have a support network of friends, family and colleagues so even if I felt alone, and was physically by myself, I was never truly isolated from others.
The day 12 Covid-19 test was something I looked forward to. I saw it as an objective which once reached and cleared would help me feel that the experience was almost over. The Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre is where all people with trackers in the capital must go for testing and processing.
Leaving the house was a little bit nerve inducing at first. My worries that I would be triggering an emirate-wide manhunt was not helped by the alarm on my tracker going off in the car just before I got to the exhibition centre. At any rate, I never saw any flashing blue and red lights behind me.
Anyway, the system is set up to provide permission retrospectively to leave my isolation spot for testing or tracker removal. Take your passport and Emirates ID with you to Adnec. You will need to show which date your arrived back in Abu Dhabi to confirm you have come to Adnec on the correct day. The Emirates ID is needed for the testing. Also have a credit card handy to pay for the test. They will ultimately take cash but that will take longer to process. On the day I went the test cost Dh180.
After finishing my test, having arrived at 8am when it opened, I had to then line up to get the permission recorded in the system, also using my Emirates ID. The whole thing took an hour from when I got there to when I left. Pretty fast. Still, the alarm on the tracker would periodically burst into life until about half an hour after I got back home. There was no sign of the police, thankfully.
Visiting Adnec provided a first-hand glimpse of the industrial scale of Abu Dhabi’s response to the health crisis.
I was there only twice for a total of about three hours but there were hundreds of people being processed during that time. If I extrapolate and estimate, the tracker device initiative could be handling thousands of people a day in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. This is just one part of the massive effort to keep us as safe as possible from the coronavirus.
The last of my anxiety was dispelled after I received my negative Covid result on the morning of day 13. This meant I would be able to have the tracker removed the next day. I could begin to relax.
Friday, day 14, was busy at Adnec, even at 9am. It took two hours in total of waiting and being processed for the tracker to be removed (it actually takes seconds to take off) but once it was gone from my wrist, I was elated. It felt as if I had accomplished something.
There is a sacrifice you see and a kind of duty being performed when you are part of a programme like this. In a public health crisis, by doing this I sensed I was contributing to nationwide efforts to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. It is a tiny role for sure but it is not nothing either.
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Suarez 27', Vidal 32', Dembele 35', Messi 78')
Sevilla 0
Red cards: Ronald Araujo, Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)
Ammar 808:
Maghreb United
Sofyann Ben Youssef
Glitterbeat
Profile of Hala Insurance
Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Top goalscorers in Europe
34 goals - Robert Lewandowski (68 points)
34 - Ciro Immobile (68)
31 - Cristiano Ronaldo (62)
28 - Timo Werner (56)
25 - Lionel Messi (50)
*29 - Erling Haaland (50)
23 - Romelu Lukaku (46)
23 - Jamie Vardy (46)
*NOTE: Haaland's goals for Salzburg count for 1.5 points per goal. Goals for Dortmund count for two points per goal.
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
