Huge Sharjah plan to back businesses and individuals
UAE reports 150 new cases and 2 more deaths; Mohammed praises diplomats; RTA to assist online deliveries; world’s worst crisis since WWII as fatalities cross 43,000; Aussie tourist thanks UAE for helping her recover; New York hardest hit in US.
The Sharjah Government has come up with new decisions to support private and government organisations, business sectors, and individuals as a means of encouragement during the coronavirus pandemic.
The government has issued several decisions to cope up with the current scenario. Among the decisions are that there will be three-month fees exemption for economic establishments from renewing licenses, for which renewal date starts from January 1 till December 31, 2020.
Traffic fines’ value will be reduced by 50% and traffic points will be cancelled, but only those committed before the date of March 31; for a period of 3 months starting from April 1.
Tenants who rent buildings of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Building 1 and 2) will be exempted from rent for a period of 3 months as of April 1.
A 50 per cent discount for shops, shopping centres and supermarkets taking part in the marketing campaigns organised by the Sharjah Chamber for the year 2020.
Exempting Air Arabia from passenger facilities fees Dhs35 per passenger. Companies are exempted from aircraft parking fees Dhs100 per day. A reduction in the rental value of the offices of other airlines by 50 per cent. The decisions also reduced the rental value of warehouses and maintenance hangars by 50 per cent.
The Sharjah Council directed the formation of a committee headed by Sheikh Salem Bin Abdulrahman Al Qasimi, head of the Ruler’s Office, membership of the Central Finance Department and the Department of Economic Development and three members of the private sector, in order to continue the study of the economic situation during the coming period of time, and to make their recommendations in relation those enhancements, as well as present them to the Council in order to take necessary action, considering the public interest of citizens and residents into account.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, held a virtual meeting with Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Sheikh Mohammed said, “Most of our students and citizens abroad have smoothly returned to the UAE. Those who remain for exceptional circumstances receive continuous care. Our domestic and foreign teams are strong. Caring for our citizens at home/abroad will remain a subject of great attention.” Meanwhile, an Australian tourist who was infected with Covid-19 thanked the UAE health sector for the care and treatment she received and helped her recover from the virus. She reportedly landed at Dubai Airport as a transit passenger on her way from Britain to Australia.
The UAE Health Ministry announced 150 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the total to 814. The Ministry said a 62-year old Asian expat and a 78-year old GCC national, who tested positive for COVID-19, died due to complications.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced that it has teamed up with Dubai-based companies that have online shopping platforms to deliver orders to the public through Dubai Taxi vehicles and franchised taxis. The initiative responds to the growing demand from UAE consumers for online shopping during the current period.
COVID-19 has spread across the globe, claiming over 43,000 lives and infecting more than 860,000 people.
The pandemic claimed over 30,000 lives in Europe alone, a global tally showed on Wednesday, in what the head of the United Nations has described as humanity’s worst crisis since World War II.
Spain reported a record 864 deaths in 24 hours, pushing the country’s number of fatalities past 9,000. The toll is only surpassed by Italy’s, where the virus has killed nearly 12,500 people.
Britain recorded its biggest day-on-day jump in the number of deaths, with 2,352 people having succumbed to the disease.
In US, New York authorities rushed to bring in an army of medical volunteers as the statewide death toll from the coronavirus surged past 1,900 and the wail of ambulances in the otherwise eerily quiet streets of the big city became the heartbreaking soundtrack of the crisis.
“How does it end? And people want answers,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “I want answers. The answer is nobody knows for sure.” As hot spots flared around the country in places like New Orleans, Detroit and Southern California, New York City was the hardest hit of them all, accounting for the majority of the state’s deaths.