UAE TESTS MORE THAN 2 MILLION PEOPLE FOR COVID-19

▶ Announcement comes as Dubai eases movement restrictions and resumes economic activity

The UAE has carried out more than two million coronavirus tests, officials announced yesterday, as Dubai said it would ease restrictions on movement.

The Ministry of Health and Prevention said it had conducted another 41,202 tests, recording 822 new cases, 601 recoveries and three deaths.

This takes the number of cases in the Emirates to 30,307 and deaths to 248. So far, the country has recorded 15,657 recoveries.

Dubai said it would push back the start of its nightly movement restrictions from 8pm to 11pm and resume “economic activity”. The restrictions end at 6am each day. The announcement was made at a meeting of Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management, chaired by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.

Sheikh Hamdan said the decision was made after a comprehensive assessment of the committee’s reports, which covered various health and socio-economic aspects and a thorough review of the Covid-19 situation.

International guidelines for living with Covid-19 were also taken into consideration.

Precautionary measures will remain in place and should be strictly observed. They include the use of face masks, physical distancing of two metres, sanitiser use and regular handwashing with soap and water for 20 seconds.

“Everyone is responsible,” Sheikh Hamdan said last night.

He said the government was aware of economic challenges facing countries across the world.

“What makes us different is our ability to deal positively with changes and our agility,” he said.

The Iraqi government, meanwhile, was warned that it faces a catastrophe because citizens continue to ignore restrictions.

“A high number of cases could be recorded because of lack of adherence to health ministry measures and to the curfews,” Ali Al Lami, a member of the parliamentary Crisis Cell set up to counter Covid-19, told state media. But Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi struck a different tone on a visit to Baghdad’s main hospital.

He said that Iraq “has the chance of success in bypassing the health crisis despite the economic challenges”, according to official media.

The World Health Organisation said that it had temporarily suspended trials of hydroxychloriquine as a potential treatment for Covid-19 being carried out across a range of countries as a precautionary measure.

The decision came after the publication of a study in the Lancet indicating that the using the drug on Covid-19 patients could increase their likelihood of dying, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, adding that the WHO-backed trials had been “suspended while the safety is reviewed”.

In Japan, despite a rise in cases, the government approved a plan to lift the state of emergency in Tokyo, its surrounding regions and the northern island of Hokkaido. The decision could mean the end of lockdown restrictions and pave the way for businesses to open up.

Deaths from the virus in Sweden topped 4,000 yesterday, and cases rose to 33,843 from 33,459.