The high-tech scanning technology is being tested at various locations in Abu Dhabi.
The high-tech scanning technology is being tested at various locations in Abu Dhabi.
The high-tech scanning technology is being tested at various locations in Abu Dhabi.
The high-tech scanning technology is being tested at various locations in Abu Dhabi.

WATCH: Smartphone scanners screen people for Covid-19 in Abu Dhabi


Gillian Duncan
  • English
  • Arabic

Authorities in Abu Dhabi have shared a video showing how a new app that screens people for Covid-19 works.

The technology, which is being trialled in three areas of Abu Dhabi, appears to scan people for the presence of viral particles.

In the video, a mobile phone is held in front of a person’s face briefly before a message flashes up to say they are negative, reading “the presence of Covid-19 viral nucleotides was not detected”.

Anyone who tests negative is permitted to enter.

Those who are positive are refused entry and referred to take a free Covid-19 test in 24 hours.

“It’s great technology that delivers results quickly,” said one person who was tested entering Yas Mall.

Others spoke about how efficient it was.

“It gave me amazing peace of mind and so quickly,” said another.

The high-tech scanning technology is being tested at various locations on Yas Island, including Yas Mall and the theme parks, in Ghantoot, as well as Mussaffah.

The decision to introduce the scanning technology in Mussaffah came after officials launched an extensive vaccination and testing drive in the area last Thursday.

The Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee approved the scheme, which will be gradually implemented in specific areas of Mussaffah without causing disruption to commercial activities.

On Tuesday, a system went live in Abu Dhabi that requires people to prove that they are vaccinated and have recently been screened for Covid-19.

The green pass system requires people to show their testing and vaccination status on Al Hosn, the UAE's test and tracing app, to enter parks, beaches, malls, hotels and large supermarkets.

The app is also needed to access gyms, swimming pools, entertainment centres, restaurants and cafes.

Users reported issues using Al Hosn on Thursday, prompting authorities to advise reinstalling the app.

Abu Dhabi launches Green Pass system: in pictures

  • The Al Hosn app, advertised here at the Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi, has been updated. Victor Besa / The National
    The Al Hosn app, advertised here at the Al Wahda Mall, Abu Dhabi, has been updated. Victor Besa / The National
  • New mandatory entrance procedures carried out at Khalidiyah Mall. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    New mandatory entrance procedures carried out at Khalidiyah Mall. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • A man shows his green pass status to enter Boroughs cafe, at Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    A man shows his green pass status to enter Boroughs cafe, at Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Keith O'Donnell gives green pass proof from the Al Hosn app as Covid-19 restrictions are implemented at Vogue Fitness, Yas Marina. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    Keith O'Donnell gives green pass proof from the Al Hosn app as Covid-19 restrictions are implemented at Vogue Fitness, Yas Marina. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • The Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa follows the new green pass mandatory requirement on Al Hosn for entering the hotel. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
    The Westin Abu Dhabi Golf Resort & Spa follows the new green pass mandatory requirement on Al Hosn for entering the hotel. Khushnum Bhandari / The National
  • Al Hosn green pass awareness signs at Al Wahda Mall. Victor Besa / The National
    Al Hosn green pass awareness signs at Al Wahda Mall. Victor Besa / The National
The Settlers

Director: Louis Theroux

Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz

Rating: 5/5

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Jebel Ali results

2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 50,000 (Dirt) 1,400m

Winner: AF Al Moreeb, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)

2.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,400m

Winner: Shamikh, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard

3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 64,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner: One Vision, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe

3.30pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 100,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner: Gabr, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson

4pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 96,000 (D) 1,800m

Winner: Just A Penny, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson

4.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner: Torno Subito, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson

5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 76,000 (D) 1,950m

Winner: Untold Secret, Jose Santiago, Salem bin Ghadayer

Green ambitions
  • Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
  • Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
  • Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
  • Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water 
MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:

Ajax 2-3 Tottenham

Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate

Final: June 1, Madrid

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

RESULTS

Tottenham 1

Jan Vertonghen 13'

Norwich 1

Josip Drmic 78'

2-3 on penalties

The major Hashd factions linked to Iran:

Badr Organisation: Seen as the most militarily capable faction in the Hashd. Iraqi Shiite exiles opposed to Saddam Hussein set up the group in Tehran in the early 1980s as the Badr Corps under the supervision of the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The militia exalts Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei but intermittently cooperated with the US military.

Saraya Al Salam (Peace Brigade): Comprised of former members of the officially defunct Mahdi Army, a militia that was commanded by Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr and fought US and Iraqi government and other forces between 2004 and 2008. As part of a political overhaul aimed as casting Mr Al Sadr as a more nationalist and less sectarian figure, the cleric formed Saraya Al Salam in 2014. The group’s relations with Iran has been volatile.

Kataeb Hezbollah: The group, which is fighting on behalf of the Bashar Al Assad government in Syria, traces its origins to attacks on US forces in Iraq in 2004 and adopts a tough stance against Washington, calling the United States “the enemy of humanity”.

Asaeb Ahl Al Haq: An offshoot of the Mahdi Army active in Syria. Asaeb Ahl Al Haq’s leader Qais al Khazali was a student of Mr Al Moqtada’s late father Mohammed Sadeq Al Sadr, a prominent Shiite cleric who was killed during Saddam Hussein’s rule.

Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba: Formed in 2013 to fight alongside Mr Al Assad’s loyalists in Syria before joining the Hashd. The group is seen as among the most ideological and sectarian-driven Hashd militias in Syria and is the major recruiter of foreign fighters to Syria.

Saraya Al Khorasani:  The ICRG formed Saraya Al Khorasani in the mid-1990s and the group is seen as the most ideologically attached to Iran among Tehran’s satellites in Iraq.

(Source: The Wilson Centre, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation)

Ticket prices

General admission Dh295 (under-three free)

Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free

Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets

BABYLON
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%E2%80%98FSO%20Safer%E2%80%99%20-%20a%20ticking%20bomb
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Sarfira

Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal 

Rating: 2/5

Know before you go
  • Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
  • If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
  • By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
  • Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
  • Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.

 

While you're here
2.0

Director: S Shankar

Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films

Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

MATCH INFO

Sheffield United 0 Wolves 2 (Jimenez 3', Saiss 6)

Man of the Match Romain Saiss (Wolves)